White Homing pigeon

The homing pigeon is a variety of domesticated Rock Pigeon (Columba livia domestica) that has been selectively bred to be able to find its way home over extremely long distances.^[1] The wild rock pigeon having an innate homing ability,^[2] means that it will generally return to its own nest and its own mate. This made it relatively easy to breed from the birds that repeatedly found their way home over long distances. Flights as long as 1800 kilometers have been recorded by exceptional birds in competition pigeon racing.^[3] Their average flying speed over moderate distances is around 48 km/h (30 mph), but they can achieve bursts of speed up to about 95 km/h (59 mph).^[4] Homing pigeons have been used to carry messages written on thin light paper (such as cigarette paper) in a small tube attached to one leg; this is called pigeon post. Sometimes homing pigeons are called carrier pigeons, when they are used to carry messages. White homing pigeons are used in Release Dove ceremonies at weddings, funerals and some sporting events.

Navigation

Research has been performed with the intention of discovering how pigeons, after being transported, can find their way back from distant places they have never visited before. Most researchers believe that homing ability is based on a "map and compass" model, with the compass feature allowing birds to orient and the map feature allowing birds to determine their location relative to a goal site (home loft).^[5] While the compass mechanism appears to be use of the sun, the map mechanism has been highly debated.^[6] Some researchers believe that the map mechanism relies on the ability of birds to detect the Earth's magnetic field. Much of this work has been conducted by Rosthina and Wolfgang Witschko and has shown that alteration of magnetic fields around the home loft result in disrupted homing ability. Recently, researchers have attempted to determine how pigeons can detect magnetic fields, and two different mechanisms have been proposed. A light-mediated mechanism that involves the eyes and is lateralized has been examined somewhat, but recent developments have implicated the trigeminal nerve in magnetoreception.^[7][8] Research by Floriano Papi (Italy, early 1970s) and more recent work, largely by Hans Wallraff, suggests that instead pigeons orient themselves using the spatial distribution of atmospheric odors^[6] (See the August 20, 2005 issue of Science News.). Near their home lofts, in areas they have previously visited, pigeons probably are guided by visual landmarks.

Various experiments suggest that different breeds of homing pigeons rely on different cues to different extents. Charles Walcott at Cornell was able to demonstrate that one strain of pigeons was confused by a magnetic anomaly in the Earth that had no effect on another strain of birds. Other experiments have shown that altering the perceived time of day with artificial lighting or using air conditioning to eliminate odors in the pigeons' home roost affected the pigeons' ability to return home.

Some research also indicates that homing pigeons navigate by following roads and other man-made features, making 90 degree turns and following habitual routes, much the same way that humans navigate.^[9]

History

Messenger or more commonly known as Carrier pigeons were used as early as 1150 in Baghdad^[10] and also later by Genghis Khan.

In 1860, Paul Reuter, who later founded Reuters press agency, used a fleet of over 45 pigeons to deliver news and stock prices between Brussels and Aachen. The outcome of the Battle of Waterloo was also first delivered by a pigeon to England.

Stamp for early Pigeon-Gram service

A B-type bus from London converted into a Pigeon loft for use in Northern France and Belgium during the Great war

Possibly the first regular air mail service in the world was Mr Howie's Pigeon-Post service from the Auckland New Zealand suburb of Newton to Great Barrier Island, starting in 1896. Certainly the world?s first 'airmail' stamps were issued for the Great Barrier Pigeon-Gram Service from 1898 to 1908.^[12] (or probably more realistically the keeping of homing pigeons and/or the use for sport) in Afghanistan.

References

Books

• Chico, The story of a Homing Pigeon in the Great War Lucy M Blanchard, Diggory Press, ISBN 978-1846850394
• Wringer, Jerry Spinelli

See also

• List of pigeon breeds
• American Show Racer
• Domestic pigeon
• Dovecote
• Pigeon intelligence
• Pigeon post
• Tippler
• War pigeon

External links

• An informative magazine article written in the 1880s
• The three most important things that every pigeon fancier should know
• http://txtwriter.com/Onscience/Articles/pigeons.html (Newspaper article on the '97 pigeon race "disaster")
• The System of Military Dovecotes in Europe from an 1891 Scientific American article at Project Gutenberg
• RFC 1149 - A Standard for the Transmission of IP Datagrams on Avian Carriers
• http://www.pigeon.org/beginnerscorner.htm - Great site for beginners.
• Article on general history of homing pigeons
• Resource for pigeon racers

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