Sunglasses. Seemingly small pigeon eyes are actually almost the entire head. They are simply covered with plumage and skin. Pigeons do not see well in the dark, and attempts to breed a nocturnal breed of postal birds that “work” during the sleep of daytime raptors did not lead to anything.
If you look at the eyes of birds, then in their retina there are more light-sensitive cells than in other animals. Especially densely, such cells fill the recess - the central fossa, which acts as a kind of spyglass for magnifying the image.
And near this spyglass there is an organ that seems to have nothing to do with vision - the so-called scallop. But why is this bloodshot fold, similar to the furs of an accordion, as if pressed by a huge blind spot into the keen eyes of a bird? Since scientists know that nothing superfluous is given to the body of any living being, certain studies have been carried out. They convince that the scallop is akin to dark sunglasses. Thanks to him, the birds look at the sun without blinking, and thus the “blind spot” helps migratory birds during migrations, and pigeons in carrying out courier tasks.
Special vision. Interestingly, the pigeon's eyes can select from the field of view only the information that he needs in this moment, and does not notice the other. One of the US aviation firms invented an electronic eye, or rather a model of the retina of a bird's eye (145 light-sensitive photoreceptors and 386 neurons - artificial nerve cells). Such a model is able to determine the direction and speed of the object, its shape and size. The "eye" can, for example, recognize a bomber and a missile and not notice other flying objects.
And due to the fact that the vision of a pigeon is many times sharper than that of a person, the rescue society in the United States has developed a program to use trained birds to search for and rescue people at sea. They will fly helicopters along with rescue teams. As soon as the pigeon sees the orange flag (the generally accepted signal for help), it will give the command a prearranged signal.
Pigeons are able to see with their skin. And here is another amazing fact, which is also included in the decoding of the bird orientation system. Ornithologists lit up a pigeon nest one night and saw their amazing reaction - the blind chicks immediately began shaking their heads, frightenedly flapping their small wings and even giving a voice. A flash of light produced such an effect even when a light-tight cap was put on the head of the chicks. But if they covered the body, and left the blind eyes outside, then the birds did not notice the light. There can be only one explanation for this - pigeons see with their skin! It remains to be determined what biochemical processes underlie this phenomenon, but scientists immediately suggested that light-sensitive skin somehow helps pigeons find their way home.
On the Possibility of Orientation in the Geomagnetic Field. The Earth's magnetic field is also often considered as a possible reference point for maintaining the course of birds and other animals. After all, our planet is a happy exception among others, since it has its own life and its own magnetic field. And the connection of these two global phenomena undoubtedly exists, which is reflected, among other things, on the processes of orientation of animals. The Earth can be represented as a huge uniformly magnetized ball, and the compass needle at any point on it is set along the horizontal vector of the magnetic field.
It is known about the existence of a kind of biological compass in some living organisms, such as termites, cockchafers, whales. Even bacteria "feel" the Earth's magnetic field. It has been established that each of them contains a compass - a crystal of magnetite. Magnetic particles were found in different parts of the body of 60 species of living organisms - in the brain of bees, the body of salmon, the abdominal cavity of carrier pigeons. Biologists have found similar formations from magnetite crystals in the human brain. And since there is nothing useless in the organism of either animals or humans, they probably turn on a certain magnetic instinct at the right moment and for certain purposes.
In the late 1970s, the American zoologist C. Walcott conducted a series of biological experiments on carrier pigeons. On the head and neck of the bird, he fixed the conductors and passed through them electricity by creating an artificial magnetic field. Pigeons, as a rule, immediately lost their orientation. This became an argument for those who claimed that pigeons are able to "equal" to the Earth's magnetic field. There is also evidence that the electromagnetic pulses of powerful television stations confuse pigeons and prevent them from finding the right path. But there are other experiments in which tiny strong magnets were attached under the wings of birds. They distorted the natural magnetic field, but the birds did not notice this and traveled hundreds of kilometers home. Therefore, the "magnetic version" of bird orientation is not the only one.
Do pigeons navigate by scent? In recent years, the hypothesis about the long-range orientation of carrier pigeons by smell has been tested. This hypothesis seems doubtful to many, since in this case it is necessary to take into account the following:
When a familiar smell is detected, the pigeon should not fly with the wind, but in the direction in which the wind with the familiar smell was blowing during training at home.
The pigeon must have such a spatial map in which each compass direction corresponds to a certain smell.
The compass direction during training and at the location is determined using global fields - geomagnetic or astro landmarks.
The curvature of the air flow in atmospheric vortices (cyclones and anticyclones) can introduce an error in the choice of the compass direction.
It would seem that this shows that when the pigeons return, they cannot use the smell, but everything is more complicated than it seems. It turns out that pigeons with impaired sense of smell are not able to find the way to the house, although they fly hundreds of kilometers along the right path in search of it. But, in the end, they settle on other people's dovecotes. According to some scientists, the dove does not use the field of smell as a guide - the familiar smell only includes other ways of orienting. And the source of the smell itself can be found, guided by the spatial organization of the concentration field itself.
Pigeons hear infrasound. Ornithologists have proven that pigeons hear infrasound - sound vibrations less than 10 hertz. And the receptors that perceive it are located somewhere inside the pigeon's ear. Infrasounds are born, for example, by various natural disasters - thunderstorms, earthquakes, which propagate thousands of kilometers in the atmosphere. This is probably why pigeons anticipate weather changes and earthquakes well. In addition, scientists do not exclude the possibility that birds use infrasound to navigate long-distance flights.
Memory, learning and development of conditioned reflexes
Learning from urban pigeons. Pigeons are excellent learners, and they learn not only on their own through the gradual acquisition of experience in the environment, but also from each other, observing the behavior of an experienced fellow. It is even suggested that a strong and "wise" bird can force another to learn by imitating itself. City dwellers - sizari have learned to deftly avoid the wheels of cars, beg and manage on the balconies, like at home. But so far they cannot learn to avoid contact with salt, which is sprinkled on the streets in winter. Because of it, pigeons often freeze their legs. This is an additional factor to why pigeons often get sick - either they catch a runny nose, or bronchitis.
Memory to help the controller function. One of the interesting applications of the ability of pigeons to hold a mental image of an image firmly in memory is the use of these birds by controllers. finished products. This was advised by zoopsychologists, since pigeons, firstly, perfectly remember the product standard, secondly, they have excellent eyesight, and thirdly, they are not burdened by monotonous work, they work with concentration and diligence. Pigeons mastered the difficult profession of a controller in 3–4 days. A cage with a bird, in the bottom of which two plates were mounted, was placed near the conveyor with ready-made medicines. When a well-closed box moved, the pigeons pecked at one plate, and if with a marriage, another. Birds proved to be extremely observant controllers. By sorting medicine boxes in this way, they did not miss a single badly closed one. Pigeons found such small defects that a person simply could not see.
Pigeons-controllers went out to the conveyor of the Moscow plant to sort balls for bearings. After completing such short-term courses, they remembered both the image of the reference part and their tasks - when a quality part floats along the conveyor, you need to behave calmly. If the part is defective, you should peck the lever. The mechanism will drop this part from the conveyor, and a feeder will open in front of the beak for a while. On the first day they worked fine, and the next day they began to reject all the balls in a row. The experimenters found that the birds quickly improved their skills - they began to send balls with fingerprints to marriage. I had to wipe the balls before presenting them to the feathered controllers so that they considered them to be of high quality. Pigeons are able to see not only the finest defects on the surface of polished parts, but also tiny cracks in the glass.
Representatives of other professions became interested in this ability of the pigeon. For example, the color vision of pigeons is better than human: they distinguish the slightest shades of color that elude the eyes of even highly qualified textile workers who sort fabrics.
Training for examination of paintings. A Japanese zoopsychologist and colleagues conducted an interesting experiment by teaching pigeons to distinguish impressionist paintings from cubist paintings. The feathered expert, accustomed to "recognize" a certain creative school, "pecked" only the paintings that corresponded to it. When a trained pigeon was shown the works of Monet and Picasso, the error did not exceed 10 percent, even if the bird was shown paintings that it had never seen before. When the experimenters introduced the pigeons to the work of Cezanne and Renoir, the "experts" easily and correctly assigned them to the same category as Monet. Pictures of the Impressionists from the works of such cubists as, for example, Georges Braque, pigeons were distinguished without apparent difficulty.
According to a professional art historian, pigeons simply learned to recognize the simplest signs inherent in these schools - the presence or absence in the images of sharp corners or clear and bright colors characteristic of cubism. After all, impressionism is characterized by blurred contours and pastel colors, which should catch the eye of a bird. However, scientists set up an experiment confirming that pigeons are unmistakable experts. They recognized the style when they were shown specially "smeared" reproductions or reproduced in black and white. Birds, like us, ourselves, when perceiving an image, used not one, but a whole complex of signs.
The ability to memorize long sequences of stimuli. It has been established that during training, pigeons demonstrate the ability to mentally analyze a series of stimuli and memorize them, breaking such a series into segments. A person remembers phone numbers in the same way - in groups of 2-3 digits. In this case, internal ideas about the structure of the sequence of stimuli are formed, and in a similar way in animals of different levels of organization. In pigeons, this process proceeds as in higher primates, but their learning rate is lower.
Development of conditioned reflexes. The classic Pavlovian method was applied to pigeons. They learned to look for food after exposure to strong light, which is a conditioned stimulus. Or, for example, they investigated the ability of a dove to distinguish between a circle from an ellipse and a polygon. To do this, the birds were shown through the window a conditioned stimulus—a circle, an ellipse, or a polyhedron—in the form of a black silhouette on a brightly lit frosted glass. This method was able to establish that the limit of this ability is a 10-gon.
pigeon training
A very complex process of training a pigeon begins with taming it to a person. The trainer must make friends with his ward. Feed him, clean his home, talk in a gentle voice.
Pigeons are domestic birds, and unlike a domestic animal like a cat, they are not difficult to tame. However, pigeons are easy to train while on the ground. And for air stunts, special tricks are needed. For example, the trainer wants the bird to fly out from under the dome of the circus, roll over in the air above the center of the arena and fly away through a certain door. For representatives of some breeds of pigeons, the tumbling skill is inherited, so there is no need to specially train the pigeon in this technique. But you need to figure out how to explain to the bird what is expected of it. She must understand where to fly, in what place she needs to roll over and what to do next. If the trainer could fly with the student under the dome of the circus and, after each somersault, hold out a delicacy in the palm of his hand, then the pigeon would quickly learn this. And since this is impossible, there are special training methods for feathered artists.
At the initial stage, the trainer sits next to the pigeon and gives a signal with a whistle, giving the student a grain of wheat after each time. The procedure is simple - the pigeon quickly remembers that food immediately appears after the whistle. However, the trainer is in no hurry to stop training at this stage. He repeats the lessons until the pigeon learns to quit everything and rush for a treat by the whistle. After that, you can start training in the arena. The trainer is below, and the assistant carries the pigeon up. After flying a little, the bird descends, but each time it is returned to the dome until it eventually turns over. And then the familiar whistle immediately sounds - a starving dove flies headlong for a reward. The training continues until the pigeon understands that the whistle sounds only when he does a somersault in the air. Now a diligent student performs this figure on every flight. In the following lessons, the whistle sounds at the moment when the bird tumbles exactly over the arena, and then only if the figure is made above the center of the arena. The next time the trainer sits at the door, and the pigeon flies there to feed. A few more reinforcing lessons, and the "artist" is ready to perform. Thanks to training with the use of a food stimulus, he developed a stable conditioned reflex.
The ability of pigeons to form concepts. Scientists have found that pigeons, oddly enough, show the most impressive ability (compared to other animals, including monkeys) in the formation of concepts. They can successfully distinguish photos with a person, water, tree from other photos without these objects. Moreover, they have an amazing ability to make such distinctions even when these images are presented in different ways. For example, pigeons can recognize water in the form of drops, a turbulent river, a calm lake. Or they have learned to tap their beaks on photographs of the most various people- representatives of different races and skin colors, the elderly and children. At the same time, people were depicted in various poses and clothes, or even naked, were in different places of the photograph, etc. And yet, from a large number of photographs, pigeons selected only those that depict people. Scientists have tried to find other criteria by which these photos can be sorted, but in vain. This suggests that pigeons are capable of generalizations and the creation of concepts. In this, these were the concepts of “water”, “man”, etc. etc.
Pigeons are able to guess how to get a banana almost like monkeys. In the 19th century, experiments on the study of the rational activity of monkeys with the help of various structures to reach the bait were quite well known in the 19th century. The very first experiments amazed the experimenters. They hung a banana in the cage, which the chimpanzees couldn't reach, and placed a box nearby. When the monkeys realized that jumping would not help, they dragged the box to a place where it was convenient to reach for a banana, climbed onto the box and took out the fruit. And quite recently it was decided to repeat this experience, but this time with pigeons. Pigeons already by this time knew how to peck an artificial banana, commensurate with their size, they also learned to push a small stand to the right place. They were trained in these activities independently of each other. When the birds faced the same problem as the chimpanzees, 4 out of 11 pigeons also moved the stand closer to the bait. Moving it, the birds glanced first at the stand, then at the "banana". Then the pigeons easily climbed onto it (they did not need to be taught this) and began to peck at the bait.
It turns out that pigeons are also quite "perceptive", and can guess how to solve the problem in a new situation for them.
The pigeons do well on the pattern selection test. The fact that the pigeon has the ability to form mental representations is confirmed by the following tests. When “choosing by pattern”, these birds show the ability to process information about the relationship between stimuli - the presence of similarities or differences between them. The dove in such tests must make a choice from several samples offered to it or choose a pair in the absence of a sample, focusing on its mental image, idea of it. In one experiment, pigeons demonstrated the ability to fast learning to distinguish between direct and mirror images of figures that were oriented in different ways. The choice was made by birds pecking at an object disk. The reaction time of the pigeons as the angular mismatch increased was the same. Scientists don't yet know what form of information processing their brain uses.
Can a pigeon count? A lot of biological experiments have been carried out, in which the pigeon was given one grain at a time. At the same time, after every six, the seventh grain, unfit for consumption, was necessarily added. Surprisingly, the dove quickly learned to count to six, never losing count, and immediately threw aside any seventh grain. Interestingly, the chimpanzee only learns to count up to five without error.
Reproductive behavior of pigeons
Pigeons are monogamous - they usually have permanent pairs. Sometimes the attachment of birds that have become spouses persists for the entire twenty-year bird life. They are excellent parents, and even in the first days they feed the chicks with “bird's milk”.
courtship ceremony. The marriage of pigeons is associated with certain ceremonies. The pigeon begins spring cooing and courtship of his mate as early as February. He spreads his tail, inflates his crop importantly and dances in front of her, bending and circling in place. And if the dove, in response to the flirting of the male, lowers the feathers of the wings a little, then this shows that his courtship is accepted. And when she coos softly and touches her boyfriend with her beak, this will mean that the marriage is concluded.
It is during the mating season that it is easy to distinguish the male from the female by the behavior, which at other times are similar to each other like two drops of water. First, the male becomes more active. And secondly, following the advice of experienced pigeon breeders, the birds can be gently pulled by the beak - while the male will pull back his head, but the female will not. Or this way - if, holding the bird by the wings, stroke it on the chest, the male will pick up his legs under him, but the dove will not.
Parental Behavior. Pigeons build their nests on trees and shrubs, in hollows and human buildings. Twice a year, the dove lays 2 eggs, less often 1. It is interesting that the program of their instinctive behavior includes a certain time for laying the first egg - this always happens after three in the afternoon. Chicks also adhere to an innate schedule, using biological “clocks” for this. They prefer to hatch from eggs from 10 to 12 noon. Eggs (from 14 to 30 days) are incubated by both parents, constantly replacing each other.
The chicks hatch naked and helpless and remain in the nest until they are fully fledged. And for their feeding, the pigeons are provided with an amazing device - a goiter, which at this time replaces the udder: both the male and the female produce real "bird's milk", which is more like yellow sour cream. It is chemically close to rabbit milk, and tastes like rancid butter. Newborn chicks submerge their long beaks into the parent's wide open mouth and take out a portion of milk. On this diet, babies grow by leaps and bounds - the very next day after leaving the egg, the chick becomes twice as heavy. A week later, the parents begin to mix grains softened in the goiter into the milk, and then accustom them to coarser food - various seeds. It is interesting that on the tenth day the dove stops feeding the chicks with milk, but the male continues to do this for several more days. By the way, it happens that a dove frivolously leaves her husband and chicks, but a single dad usually successfully copes with raising offspring.
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pov pigeon
Today I want to tell you, my dear friends, how I spend my day. Let's start from the moment I hatched from the egg. Then I was a freak: there were no feathers, only in some places there was down in bunches, and it looked as if all the feathers had been plucked out for me, blind, barely noticeable against the background of bare skin, closed eyes, a slightly soft yellow beak and thin cotton legs. I had three sisters and a brother - Sarah, Samantha, Syra and Glick. By the way, my name is Mir, and my now deceased parents are Hira and Sing. My father was killed by a human chick and my mother was hit by a car. That is how we live. But the tears have already been shed, and only a sad memory remains. No matter how, we are pigeons, every day we have someone who dies. My people live in the zoo, they love us here, they feed us. True, not everyone loves us, mostly grandmothers, but the rest hardly interfere with us. Children do not like us, because we often take revenge on them for chasing us, throwing "stars on their heads." We have an eternal enmity. If we are not fed, then we steal food from swans and ducks. Once we tried to take food from geese, but believe me, it did not end in anything good. I said the main thing, now you can describe my day. As soon as I wake up, I fly to the bird cages, eat and coo. On the way, I pee on the head of a nasty child chasing my brothers. He moves away from them and burns me with a hateful look. But I'm already used to it and, therefore, I calmly fly past him again, throwing another projectile. Seeing the child, I immediately realized that the zoo was already open. Of course, I'm not the only one who realized this. This was understood by several dozen more pigeons. They are not bread. Which, by the way, they pecked. And then the war begins not for life, but for eternal hunger. Grandmother, sitting on a bench, as if mocking, throws us one piece at a time. No, to crumble and throw everything at once, and not to tear off piece by piece ... It's a shame in general. After some time, I had already eaten and cooed, and I was ready to fly further. Flying near the cage with cats, I decide to lower the height, but quickly change my mind, crashing into the head of a Human Folk girl. She leaves the zoo. At the end, I found a method to scare away people) The sun is already setting, and, after another feeding, I fly back to my roof. But half way I fight off the pack, and, suspecting nothing, I fly through the cage with bird of prey. Who would have thought that birds could be predatory? In principle, pigeons have no time to think about it. And that's why I got caught in the eagle's claws. Before she began to torment me with her huge beak, I had time to think: "Cannibalism is rampant." Death didn't scare me. We all see the deaths of our fellow men every day. On the contrary, I was pleased with the fact that today is the day of my death. Finally, all this will stop.
How often many of us in our lives have to see pigeons, and at the same time, how little we know about them. All known information about our cooing neighbors most often boils down to the fact that they eat seeds and various cereals (who will pour what), do not fly away for the winter and love to shit from roofs. We have no time, and no need to learn more - we think. Meanwhile, the world of even the most familiar animals for us can be very exciting.
Why, when walking, doves nod their heads - a question that, probably, each of us has asked himself at least once. But for many, along with other questions about the life of these birds, it still remains a mystery. For those who nevertheless decided to become a little closer to our feathered neighbors, this short story has been created. In particular, let's try to figure out why pigeons have such a funny walk.
General information about pigeons
The weight of an adult pigeon usually varies from 200 to 650 g. Most often on the streets we see rock pigeons, which are one of 35 existing species. This genus of birds can be found in countries located on three continents of the earth: Africa, Eurasia and Australia. The life of a wild pigeon usually does not last more than 5 years. In captivity, they live 2-3 times longer, in rare cases even reaching 35 years.
Since people learned how to create new breeds of pigeons, more than 800 have been bred. Of these, about 200 are in Russia. The peculiarity of these birds is known to fly to their native nests even when they are hundreds of kilometers away from them. They can reach speeds up to 100 km/h. The ancient Greeks, Persians, Romans, Jews and Egyptians learned to transmit various news through them. In many countries, pigeon mail operated officially, it was especially actively used during the war.
Strange pigeon gait
We are so accustomed to these feathered creatures that we either do not notice them at all, or everything in their behavior seems to us quite ordinary and understandable. But sometimes watching pigeons in a public garden or at a bus stop can lead us to some questions.
For example, why do doves nod their heads when walking? This strange gait seems very uncomfortable, it seems that it is given to them with great difficulty. But this is only at first glance. In fact, if they were created with the ability to move in this way, then there was a need for it. Nothing happens in vain in nature.
Explanations of the pigeon gait
There are many hypotheses about why pigeons nod their heads when walking. Some believe that in fact the effect of a nod is created visually, but in fact the bird does not move it, moving only its body. The reason for the peculiarity of the pigeon gait is sometimes explained by the need to maintain the balance of the body. To this end, small birds usually jump, and large ones waddle.
Someone believes that the structure of the dove, or rather the location of its eyes, is the cause of this phenomenon. The fact is that the eyes of the bird are set on the sides of the head, and therefore it has And precisely in order to see the whole picture in front of it at once, it makes a sharp nod when walking.
What did one experiment show?
In 1976, a scientist set up a very interesting experiment with pigeons. He placed the bird in a cube, where he installed a special treadmill so that the dove would not have the opportunity to get off it. The purpose of this experiment was to test whether the bird would nod its head in such an environment.
As it turned out, in such conditions, the birds stop nodding their heads. Watching a pigeon run on a treadmill led the scientist to the conclusion that they needed the nod to stabilize the image. In the process of running on a treadmill that moved with the pigeon, the need to stabilize the visible environment disappeared. According to this study, the most reasonable explanation for this question lies in the way pigeons see. By the way, if you blindfold a pigeon, it will also stop nodding when taking a step.
Unique pigeon vision
The difference between pigeon vision and human vision is that a person perceives the movements of objects, seeing 24 frames per second, and for this a pigeon needs to see as many as 75 frames. Therefore, they perceive everything that happens around them as separate pictures, which means that they notice an object approaching them at the last moment.
And although the vision of a dove is inferior to a human in this, it has clear advantages. None of us can boast of the ability to see as far as these birds. Just imagine, a dove is able to see an object at a distance of three kilometers. Assessing this advantage, the United States even used their help in search and rescue operations.
How much we still do not know about our usual, it would seem, environment. We see pigeons so often and know so little about them. Knowing why pigeons nod their heads when walking, it will be much more interesting to watch these birds. Now you can try to imagine how the world looks in their eyes and become a little closer to them. Let's notice the world around us, because it is very interesting and beautiful.
Pigeons in different religions of the world personify everything good and bright: angels, souls of people, dreams and good intentions. These representatives of the feathered class deserve such an attitude towards themselves because they have been faithful companions of man for many millennia. It is impossible to imagine any city square or park without the usual gray birds. They are so close to us that it seems that everything about them has long been known. Nevertheless, pigeons are a very interesting species, amazing facts which is simply amazing.
This species is much more numerous than one might think: it has more than 300 subspecies that differ in size, appearance and special features that are unique to them.
Plumage
In addition to the gray plumage familiar to us, there are species with amazing bright colors: blue, green, red, yellowish. Such representatives are found not in our latitudes, but where lush greenery rages - in the tropics and subtropics. Bright appearance needed in order to become noticeable against the backdrop of bright foliage. In the ranking of representatives with the most beautiful plumage, the leading places are occupied by the Asian fruit and sensitive dove with bright spots on the chest. These spots are used by them as a signal sign to identify their relatives and scare away natural enemies.
The scales on the feathers of pigeons are arranged in such a way that they can smooth out sharp air currents during flight. In terms of stiffness and smoothness, their plumage can compete with many others. migratory birds. At certain types it has a structure that allows it to fly at such a low speed that any other species would have already fallen. From the outside, it may seem as if the dove is hovering in the sky. Lingering in the air, they can see everything far below.
There is an amazing subspecies in which feathers allow you to make specific sounds while passing through them. air currents. With the help of such "singing" they can communicate with each other.
An adult male or female can have about 10 thousand feathers on the body. If this figure drops sharply, then the bird is sick.
Physiology
The body of pigeons holds many secrets that have been discovered only in the course of long studies. They have amazing features that allow them to perfectly match the environment where they live. High adaptability provided them with a huge life expectancy for such small birds - about 20 years.
Eye like an eagle
The vision of pigeons is highly accurate. In order to perfectly see distant objects and landscape elements from a great height, they have a small depression in their eyes, completely filled with light-sensitive cells. This structure performs the function of a telescope, bringing the image closer several times.
Such eyes have an amazing property: they are not afraid of the direct rays of the sun, bright light or flashes during a thunderstorm. This is due to the fact that the retina instantly changes density, becoming less transparent, and protects the delicate structure of the eye from negative effects.
In addition, the speed of pigeon vision is 3 times higher than that of a human. This means that in 1 second we can perceive 24 frames, while pigeons - 75. It is for this reason that they often fall into the windshields and under the wheels of cars: they just think that the car is driving very slowly, and there is still time enough. But their viewing angle is 360 °: it is impossible to sneak up on a pigeon, since it perfectly sees everything that happens behind it.
Speed
These birds are not adapted to walk quickly: they have too short legs. The fingers have thin skin, so they are sensitive, but it is impossible to take some object into the paw. But their wings are excellent: the record that was recorded during the flight is 1.6 km / min. In addition, they are very hardy and can fly 900-3000 km per day at a speed of 70 km / h.
Some species love to do amazing tricks in the air. For example, Bermingham Rollers: they like to perform a series of somersaults, which is very amusing for people watching them. The cabin roller performs the same actions, only on the ground. Scientists have not been able to establish what gives such somersaulting to birds, but they do it with obvious pleasure. Perhaps they just enjoy the process, the way dolphins enjoy jumping out of the water while they play.
Skill vertical takeoff and a sharp descent down made it possible for them to live in arid regions, where water can only be obtained by sinking to the bottom of a deep well.
I go to the instruments
Each pigeon in the body has its own built-in navigation systems that allow it to navigate accurately over long distances. This amazing set of devices never fails and always leads the bird to the right place.
For the exact location, 3 mechanisms are simultaneously used: error-free memorization of landscape elements, restoration of any shades of smells in memory and orientation according to the position of the Sun. Such a navigation system is often harmed by artificial lighting at night.
Anti-Gourmets
In food, pigeons are extremely unpretentious, which is why they are called "urban flying rats", but everyone loves to feed them. In order to digest a variety of foods, the digestive system has an amazing structure: food goes through the esophagus to the stomach, from where it passes into the goiter. The goiter consists of a pair of compartments, the left one is filled first, and after it is loaded to the top, the right one starts to load. That is why pigeons can eat a lot of food at one time, having a digestion device that is average between a camel and a hamster.
In order to drink water, they also developed an interesting mechanism: they immerse their beak in water and draw liquid through it, like a cocktail through a straw.
But the well-known myth about bird milk in their case, it is almost real: adults feed the chicks with special milk, which looks like liquid sour cream. On such a diet, the chicks grow at an amazing pace, since already on the second day of life they gain exactly 2 times in weight.
Memory
The brain of birds of this species is constantly examined, and a series of discoveries in this direction does not stop. It has been established that the abilities of memory and memorization of pigeons are unique. Simple tests give an idea of how their brains work: the pigeon was shown pictures at a speed of 1 image per 3 seconds for 10 minutes. After certain pictures, a grain fell from the side tray. By repeating the test a day later and serving food in the same sequence, the scientists made sure that the beak reached for the tray only after those pictures, after which a grain was given out the day before. In repeated tests, no errors were recorded either.
In addition, these birds are able to remember different people. For the experiment with birds, 2 brothers, very similar in appearance, contacted. One of them was kind with pets, and the second drove them and shouted. When the brothers returned to them some time later, the birds unmistakably recognized both, striving to be closer to the first and keep away from the second.
Psychology
The psychology and intelligence of pigeons is much more complex and deeper than people used to think. They have amazing relationships and interactions in the community. For example, they are able to find a compromise solution that will suit everyone in a problem situation. This was established during an experiment where the birds could return home alone or together. They preferred to change the route so that the maximum time to fly in a way that is less convenient for everyone, but equally suitable for everyone.
They also display superstitious behavior. Back in the last century, a study was published in which two specimens were placed in a cage, where they were periodically given grain. During the experiment, it was noticed that six out of eight behaved strangely: one periodically stuck his head into the corner of the cage, the second sometimes began to walk around the cage in a clock cage, etc. In the course of research, it was possible to establish that birds believe that special behavior can speed up the release of food. In humans, this behavior is called "superstition."
In both sexes of this species, intelligence is developed in different ways: as a rule, males are smarter, and females are more loyal.
In addition, they are able to identify their reflection in the mirror. Apart from them, this feature is shown only by animals with a high level of intelligence: dolphins, elephants, orangutans and chimpanzees. A person reaches this level of development only in 1.5 years.
These birds surprised with their abilities in the field of mathematics. They clearly showed that they are characterized by analytical thinking and the construction of cause-and-effect relationships. During the experiment, the pigeons were shown three sets of objects of different shapes and colors on the display. The first set had one item, the second had two, and the third had three. The birds had to peck at the sets according to the increasing number of objects contained in them. When the number of sets and the number of items they contained increased to 9, the birds easily completed the task correctly, although people did not explain to them that there could be more after 3 items. This made it possible to understand that pigeons are very highly trainable and understand the abstract nature of numbers.
Family matters
These birds differ from the majority in amazing fidelity: most often the pair lasts for life. Pigeon "weddings" were observed by many. The male first courts his lady, spreading his wings and dragging them picturesquely along the ground. If the female also lowers her fluffy wings to the ground, then she accepts these courtship. The final chord is the touching of the beak of the female to the beak of the male and loud cooing.
There is one amazing feature associated with the production of pigeons into the world: the female cannot lay eggs without seeing the male. In artificial conditions, they are deceived by installing mirrors while the expectant mother is sitting in the nest.
It very rarely happens that a female in noisy and busy places can leave a male with children. The male is in a deep stressful state for some time, but after recovering, he takes care of the chicks with a vengeance, since he has nowhere to expect help.
Faithful friends
Pigeons were domesticated a very long time ago - about 5 thousand years ago, presumably this happened in Mesopotamia, where the first documentary mention of them was found. Since then, the birds have been around all the time and rescued a person in different situations. In Egypt, people placed birds of this species in burials, believing that they would help the soul to get into the realm of the dead.
Pigeon mail was used by many significant people in history, such as Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, and others. With the help of feathered postmen, urgent messages were delivered about battles, death or birth of members of royal families.
In the 11th century, the cost of a good carrier pigeon was higher than the cost of a thoroughbred horse, because in those days it served as the most modern iPhone and a high-speed means of communication. Through the centuries, with the invention of radio, pigeon mail has lost its relevance. But people were able to appreciate it again during wars, when wired communications were unstable.
They performed a special function during the Second World War. With the help of pigeon mail, about 15 thousand letters were delivered. This means of information transfer was very reliable, 98% of the items found their addressees. Not all postal services could boast of such efficiency, even in peacetime.
One pigeon during the First World War, by timely delivery of information, saved a huge unit of soldiers. The gratitude of the people was so great that this brave male was officially awarded the rank of colonel in the English army. Until the end of his days, he lived with the soldiers, and after his death he was buried according to army custom with all the honors that a colonel has.
In addition to pigeon mail and warfare, these birds were used for aerial photography, because this method requires almost no cost compared to shooting from an airplane.
Benefits for people are not limited practical application, they are able to give many hours of interesting and informative observations. Everyone who has ever bred these smart, funny and amazing birds knows this.
From where doves sleep, their life expectancy directly depends. As civilization develops, we leave less and less space for wildlife. This can be seen in the example of birds in the city, which are forced to settle in attics or under the roofs of houses. How they rest, in what position and how many hours, you will learn from our article. And we will also tell you if they close their eyes during sleep and if they lose control, forgetting about predators.
Pigeon life in the city
In the daytime, city pigeons are visible to everyone. They walk in whole flocks in parks and squares, as well as in squares, feeding in all possible ways, including from human hands.
At night, these birds seem to dissolve and completely disappear from view. However, with the first rays of the rising sun, they again appear in the direct line of sight of a person, once again filling the familiar space. And it is completely incomprehensible to many citizens where these birds live in the city and where they spend the night.
The following places can be used as shelter:
- attics;
- niches in the walls of buildings;
- alleys, squares and parks;
- economic objects.
Regarding where the pigeons spend the night, it should be said that the birds remain true to their instincts. These city birds are not very comfortable in the trees. They feel much better on various architectural objects, especially those where you can hide from the weather.
Better sleep - longer life
The average life expectancy of one individual in the conditions of the city is approximately 15-20 years, but cases have been recorded when individual birds lived to 30 and even 35 years. When compared with those pigeons that live in wild nature, then the difference in this matter is very significant, because most of them live no more than 5 years. This is due to constant anxiety, the expectation of an attack by predators, and therefore, pigeons systematically lack a good rest.
In the city, feathered individuals have more opportunities to find good conditions for night sleep. You just have to be very careful and arrange lodging for the night in places inaccessible to cats.
Those pigeons that live at home are much better protected from the adverse effects of various factors. Breeders monitor the health of their pets, including their sleep, provide them with proper care and a balanced diet. The better and fuller the sleep, the longer, subject to other conditions, the life of a feathered pet will be.
Sleep time depends on the time of year
Under normal conditions, it is quite difficult to see how pigeons sleep. For example, wild birds can make their nests in the crowns of deciduous trees, so it is very difficult to see them from below.
During sleep, the position taken is in many ways reminiscent of the one in which chickens sleep - the body of the bird is in the nest, the head is hidden under the wing and the paws are tucked under themselves. They arrive to sleep already in the evening, when dusk sets in. The duration of sleep is highly dependent on the time of year, pigeons are diurnal birds, so the duration of their rest is equal to the duration of the night, this also includes twilight hours.
Based on the foregoing, the night rest of the pigeons continues until it becomes light, that is, 13-14 hours - in winter. In summer, birds sleep less - about 8-9 hours.
Features of pigeon vision
In urban buildings and structures, you can see pigeon nests by climbing into not the most common places, at least for humans. These can be ventilation ducts and shafts, a place between the roof of the house and its covering, for example, slate.
The impossibility of night flights of pigeons, associated with the peculiarities of their vision, dictates the need not to disturb the birds at night. Photoreceptor cones, which make up the retina of pigeons, react only to daylight; at night they see almost nothing.
This feature of vision implies that sleeping birds can fly out of the nest in fright and, due to their poor orientation in space, run into an obstacle dangerous to health and even life. However, the appearance of light (even artificial) quickly brings the bird into a cheerful state, he believes that morning has come and it's time to get up.
Usually during sleep, pigeons close their eyes and can completely turn off for 10-15 minutes. This is enough to give their brain a rest. By the way, this state is used when catching birds, which we talk about in the article “How to catch a pigeon with your hands or a rope.”
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