Welcome to our new post! In this article, I will explain how carrier pigeons orient themselves. Get ready to learn amazing things about this animal and surprise your friends with these interesting facts.
Curiosities about homing pigeons
You have already wondered: how is it possible for a pigeon to have such a good sense of direction? Human beings, even with current technologies, sometimes get lost in the streets, but pigeons are capable of delivering messages over long distances.
The art of raising and training pigeons to become homing pigeons is called pigeon-fancying. The use of homing pigeons originated in ancient Egypt as a means of communication between armies, and its use remained widespread until World War I. After World War II, it was completely superseded by modern telecommunications.
Some English studies have shown that pigeons usually follow the route of the streets, although this is not the most efficient way. They also present better results if they work in pairs, if the partner suggests a better route the pigeon changes its path.
Sunlight has an influence on the orientation of birds. Did you know that if they are kept under artificial light, they will fly in the wrong direction? Cloudy days also decrease the bird's orientation ability. Another sense that helps them a lot when it comes to orienting themselves is smell. On top of that they have internal compasses near their eyes and nose that help them calculate Earth's electromagnetic fields.
The orientation of these birds is not 100% reliable, sometimes they can get confused and get lost. Sometimes they take into account natural or artificial reference points and if these change they could be lost. The sound is also an important factor when it comes to orienting itself and the momentary interruption of these low sounds due to the topography can cause the bird to get lost, especially the youngest.
A curiosity about the hearing of pigeons is that they can hear super low sounds down to 0.05 hertz. In homing pigeon races, speeds of 80 km/h can be observed and in one day they can travel 1,000 km.
Theories and scientific studies on homing pigeons
Kramer et al did a study to find out how much influence a magnet could have on the orientation of pigeons. This study was done on two days, one cloudy and one sunny. Some pigeons wore a magnet and the control group wore a piece of brass. They observed that the pigeons that had the magnet and flew on a cloudy day had considerable difficulty orienting themselves and this difficulty was much greater than the birds that flew without the magnet but under the same weather conditions. When they compared both groups on a sunny day, not so much difference was observed. The conclusion of the study is that the sun has more influence on the orientation of the pigeons than the electromagnetic field.
Many theories have been developed over the years about the orientation of pigeons. Matthews (1950) claimed that the sun has more influence on the orientation of pigeons than the internal compasses they have. In other words, once a pigeon is far from his house, he observes the height of the sun and if it is greater than the height of his house, he knows that he should go south. Already the east-west displacement compares the position of the sun in the solar arc with the time of your home (according to your internal clock). If the time at the location where the bird is located is ahead of its home time, then the pigeon should head west.
Several studies on pigeons followed, in which it was found that Matthews's theory was not correct. They determined that even if the sun is not available, the pigeons are able to replace this information and orient themselves. There are pigeons that are used to flying on cloudy days and do not get lost. This alternative source of orientation does not depend on an offset time.
How do you train a homing pigeon?
It is recommended that training start early between 25 and 30 days. In this first stage, you should whistle when delivering food so that it gets used to you.
When you can travel small distances you can start to get it out of the loft. It is very important to have confidence in your pet. It is recommended to feed him after taking him out, because when he is hungry he will have one more incentive to come back with your whistle.
To educate the bird in the sense of orientation, the training baskets or cages are introduced little by little so that it does not get stressed. Once he gets used to the cage, we will move away a bit and open the basket for him to come home. The distance is increasing more and more. Initial training is usually on sunny days so that the bird has a better sense of direction. The process of training a mail pigeon requires a lot of time, patience, and determination.
After analyzing this information we can conclude that the excellent orientation of the pigeons is not due to a single source, but that they have several methods that together achieve this result. Good weather, landmarks and electromagnetism are essential keys for these animals to reach their destination, but the most incredible thing about nature is that if by chance one of them fails, you can count on other orientation methods.
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