All articles tagged with #pigeons
Researchers at the University of British Columbia fitted homing pigeons with tiny backpacks and head-mounted cameras to track eye movements during flight. They found slow, subtle eye shifts and inward eye rotation when landing, challenging the idea that birds keep their eyes fixed in flight. The findings suggest drones could benefit from cameras that move similarly to enhance navigation and depth perception.
A study with pigeons shows rewarded behaviors remain variable rather than converging on a fixed pattern, challenging the traditional law of effect and suggesting that staying variable—at the edge of chaos—may help animals cope with changing environments, with implications for understanding how brains learn.
German researchers provide evidence that iron-rich macrophages in pigeons' livers may possess superparamagnetism and act as a liver-based quantum compass to help navigation, particularly when the Sun is obscured; experiments using clodronate to wipe these immune cells disrupted homing on overcast days, while normal navigation returned under sunny conditions, implying a liver-to-brain signaling pathway.
Scientists trained 34 pigeons to navigate a 12‑mile route and found iron‑rich immune cells in the liver may act as an internal magnetic compass, helping them sense Earth's magnetic field when visual cues are blocked by clouds. Pigeons depleted of these cells got lost under overcast skies, while birds with normal iron stores completed the route; after the cells naturally repopulated, navigation improved again. The cells display superparamagnetism and may relay directional information to the brain via nerves from the liver. While some scientists praise the possible new mechanism of magnetic perception, others call for more direct evidence before drawing firm conclusions. The research team plans to further investigate how immune cells communicate with the nervous system and to track pigeons globally to learn more about their navigation skills.
A new AP News study tracked homing pigeons and suggests that cues from the birds’ liver may influence their ability to navigate home, offering a surprising physiological angle on avian navigation beyond traditional magnetic or visual cues.
60 Minutes examines a global surge in elite racing-pigeon theft, detailing the $1.6 million-plus loss of a Belgian champion named Finn, the rise of an international 'pigeon mafia,' and how DNA testing and secure lofts are helping recover birds and convict criminals amid a high-stakes market that fuels massive online auctions.
A Delta flight from Minneapolis to Madison was delayed after two pigeons were found inside the cabin, causing chaos as passengers and crew tried to capture the birds before takeoff. Airport staff eventually removed the birds, and Delta apologized for the disruption, highlighting the unusual incident of animals interfering with a flight.
A Delta flight from Minneapolis to Madison was delayed after two pigeons were found on board, causing chaos as passengers and crew removed the birds, with the airline apologizing for the disruption.