03420nas a2200637   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002653001000043653000900053653000900062653001600071653001200087653001500099653000900114653001300123653001200136653001500148653001800163653000900181653003000190653001600220653001300236653001100249653001100260653000900271653001600280653001700296653002000313653002000333653001200353653001000365653001000375653000900385653001100394653001200405653001300417653000900430653001600439653001100455653001100466653002600477653001000503653000900513653001600522653001700538653002200555653001700577100001800594700002000612700002100632245008000653856014700733490000600880520187600886022002002762                                       d10aadult10aAged10aAged10a80 and over10aAnimals10aAsteraceae10aAves10aBreeding10aColumba10aColumbidae10aColumbiformes10adiet10aEthnobiological knowledge10aEthnobotany10aFabaceae10aFemale10aHumans10amale10aMiddle Aged10aPhytotherapy10aPigeon breeders10aPigeon fancying10aPoaceae10aSpain10aadult10aaged10aanimal10aarticle10abreeding10adiet10aEthnobotany10aFemale10agrowth10adevelopment and aging10ahuman10amale10amiddle aged10aphytotherapy10apigeons and doves10avery elderly1 aAntonio Belda1 aCarolina Cortes1 aVictoriano Peiro00aEthnobotanic importance of plants used in pigeon-breeding in Eastern Spain.  uhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84877847030&doi=10.1186%2f1746-4269-9-33&partnerID=40&md5=4b910a0d545d385e07892fbc3f8848e50 v93 aBackground: The importance that birds of the Columbidae family have had throughout history is visible on the Mediterranean coast. Pigeon fancying is the art of breeding and training carrier pigeons and currently, several breeds exist. The sport of racing pigeons consists in covering a distance at maximum possible speed. However, pigeon breeding has another modality called "sport pigeon", where several males follow a female. This study focusses on ethnobotanical knowledge of native and exotic plant species that are used for diet, breeding, stimulation, healing illnesses and staining the plumage of pigeons bred in captivity. Methods: Using semi-structured interviews, we gathered information about the different plant species traditionally used for pigeon-breeding in the region of Valencia. Background material on remedies for bird illnesses was gathered from folk botanical references, local books and journals. The plant species were collected in the study area, then identified in the laboratory using dichotomous keys and vouchered in the ABH (Herbarium of Alicante University). We used Excel ® 2003 to perform a simple statistical analysis of the data collected. Results: We collected 56 species of plants (and one variety) that included 29 botanical families. The total number of species was made up of 35 cultivated and 21 wild plants. The most common were Gramineae (14 species), Leguminosae (6 species), and Compositae (4 species).Conclusions: Pigeon breeding is an immensely popular activity in Eastern Spain, and ethnobiological knowledge about breeding pigeons and caring for them is considerable. The names and traditional uses of plants depend on their geographical location, vernacular names serve as an intangible heritage. Feeding, environmental features, and genetic makeup of individuals are relevant aspects in the maintenance of avian health.  a17464269 (ISSN)