Pigeons have been described as “rats with wings.” However, I agree with Alexis Madrigal that pigeons are an important food source, so the birds are more accurately described as “waste-scavenging, protein-generating biomachine[s].” More via Alexis Madrigal:

Really, all pigeons need is a re-branding. Just as the spurned Patagonian toothfish became the majestic Chilean sea bass and the silly Chinese gooseberry became the beloved kiwifruit, pigeons can merely reclaim their previous sufficiently arugula-sounding name: squab.

The term squab now refers to the meat of the baby pigeon, but it can also mean pigeons in general, so we can simply extend the brand back to its historical proportions. In fact, some companies like Bokhari Squab Farms are already doing good business selling the stuff: A dozen of Bokhari’s live squab goes for $60.

This:

Can be cooked into this:

Here are a few pigeon recipes by Gordon Ramsay:

1. Roast Pigeon with wild mushrooms, asparagus and toasted walnuts
2. Roasted pigeon with pickled red cabbage recipe

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