The Incredible Abilities of the Lowly Pigeon

If you were to think of the bird that you hate the most, most likely your first choice would be the pigeon. Often referred to as the “rat of the sky,” these creatures are surprisingly quite amazing, both in their physical features and their intellect.

We’ve all heard their distinctive sound, a subtle “Coo,” not surprising, as they are part of the family Columbidae, which includes doves. Notice the root word, as in the constellation Columba, the Dove, found just below Lepus and Canis Major. But, these birds are amazing, as described in the latest issue of Discover Magazine.

First of all, pigeons have been domesticated for over 5,000 years, as documented in both Mesopotamian and Egyptian writings. Their usefulness was not only as pets, but they were also raised for food and for sport. Soon, they became known for their ability to carry messages and to return home with virtually no trouble.

In the 1800s, news organizations soon learned using pigeons to carry “late breaking” stories by pigeon was faster than any means of transportation at that time, and more reliable than telegraph messages. In the 1900s, pigeons were known to carry messages to headquarters from the front lines during both World Wars. It is even known that during World War II, pigeons had cameras strapped to their backs for imaging the war effort. Unfortunately, recently, pigeons have been intercepted carrying backpacks full of drugs across international borders.

Their intelligence has been widely studied. Pigeons are one of the few animals capable of passing the “mirror test,” that is, they can recognize their own reflection. They can recognize such shapes as the letters of the alphabet, and can distinguish different human faces. And, now, pigeons are being trained to spot cancer in medical images, based on their wartime ability to detect military targets.

The question is how are these avians able to do all these, while still finding their way home? It has been known for decades that birds do have the ability to follow the stars; planetarium studies have confirmed this many times. However, it appears pigeons do rise above this, as they are believed to also follow the Earth’s magnetic field; in other words, they have a built-in compass. They also have been known to use their sensitive hearing and sense of smell to create their own landmarks and follow known roads. And, of course, researchers have determined they can also use our Sun. For birds that we often ignore, or just shoo away from us, it appears, as stated in Discover Magazine, pigeons are “really coo.”