the pigeons

The pigeons are a collective of birds on Animal Farm who, under Old Major's classification of 'whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend,' are integrated into the revolutionary community. After the Rebellion, Snowball and Napoleon send out flights of pigeons daily to mingle with animals on neighbouring farms, telling them the story of the Rebellion and teaching them the tune of 'Beasts of England.' This methodical dissemination makes the pigeons a crucial propaganda apparatus, carrying the revolutionary message beyond the farm's boundaries. When Snowball reduces the Seven Commandments to the maxim 'Four legs good, two legs bad,' the birds initially object because they have two legs, but Snowball convinces them that their wings are organs of propulsion, therefore to be regarded as legs, so they are included among the 'four legs' group.

During the Battle of the Cowshed, the pigeons act as both scouts and combatants. A flight of pigeons first arrives at the farm in wild excitement to warn that Mr. Jones and his men are approaching to recapture the farm. In the battle itself, all thirty-five pigeons fly to and fro over the men's heads and defecate on them from mid-air as part of Snowball's first attack. After the battle, the pigeons continue to serve as messengers. They are the ones who report on the defection of Mollie, spotting her on the other side of Willingdon pulling a dogcart for a publican. Later, as Napoleon's alliances shift, the pigeons are ordered to alter their slogans: first 'Death to Humanity,' then 'Death to Frederick,' then 'Death to Pilkington,' and they are told to avoid certain farms accordingly. They also carry a conciliatory message to Foxwood after Frederick's betrayal, returning with a note from Mr. Pilkington that reads 'Serves you right.'

As the regime hardens, the pigeons remain part of the farm's propaganda machinery but their role becomes increasingly subordinate to the pigs' direct control. They are still sent out with tidings, but the pigs now manage the narrative through Whymper and direct trade. The pigeons are among the animals that gather outside the farmhouse window in the final scene, watching the pigs walk on their hind legs, Napoleon carrying a whip, and the sheep bleating 'Four legs good, two legs better.' When the animals look from pig to man and find it impossible to say which is which, the pigeons, as part of the collective, witness the complete dissolution of the revolutionary ideal. Throughout the novel, the pigeons embody the animal workforce that is mobilized for the Rebellion but ultimately becomes a tool of the new regime, their wings—once a symbol of freedom—used to carry the pigs' ever-shifting propaganda.