Animal Behavior
Carrier Pigeons Were Used For Quick Communication Similar To The Internet. This Is How They Did It.
They have a stellar reputation for being excellent navigators.
These birds have an innate sense of direction and can fly at speeds that exceed 60 miles per hour in good wind, making them ideally suited for messenger duty.
Messenger Pigeon history dates from ancient Greece (where they were used to spread the news of major events like the Olympic Games) up until modern-day wars. During both World Wars alone, hundreds were employed by military forces worldwide, needing constant updates on battle progress.
Pigeons became the preferred delivery system for many reasons.
- They are simple to deal with because of their docility.
- Pigeons are easy to capture, reproduce quickly, and are reliable. Particularly, rock pigeons were selected and crossed to make homing pigeons with better navigating instincts.
- Above all else, they have a stellar reputation for being excellent navigators.
Source: https://www.historydefined.net/how-carrier-pigeons-work/
Pigeons have internal magnetic “compasses” near their eyes and noses.
These birds are equipped with internal compasses that allow them to navigate using external cues such as the sun’s location during the day, the arrangement of stars at night, and the Earth’s magnetic field.
They have a highly developed sense of smell as well and can detect hydrocarbons in the atmosphere. These hydrocarbons detect whether the bird is over trees and forests or over the city.
They have highly developed sight and can follow such mundane things as landmarks and man-made highways.
They can hear low frequencies, under 20 megahertz in the Earth and can create mental maps of the area and know they are getting closer to home.
Reasons They Were Needed
The safe delivery of sensitive material is the main reason why the concept of carrier pigeons even exists. Messages are typically written on small pieces of paper, and rolled or stored in tubes that are then secured to the pigeon’s neck or legs. Once released, the pigeon automatically proceeds to fly home. This results in the timely, and often undisturbed and undetected, delivery of messages.
Training
Training pigeons for message carrying is a gradual process The pigeons are taken to locations away from their nest or loft before being released to fly back. Over time, the trainer increases the miles between “home” and the release sites. Slowly but surely, the pigeons become proficient enough to navigate their way back from impressive distances.
Uses for Today
Smuggling
Homing pigeons have been reported to be used as a smuggling technique, getting objects and narcotics across borders and into prisons.
For instance, between 2009 and 2015, pigeons have been reported to carry contraband items such as cell phones, SIM cards, phone batteries and USB cords into prisons in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. There have also been cases where homing pigeons were used to transport drugs into prisons.
Animal exploitation
Pigeon races are sometimes considered as a type of animal exploitation and against animal welfare, particularly where betting is involved, and animal welfare is regarded as secondary.
For example, the animal rights organization PETA criticizes Taiwanese owners for flying birds across wide oceans where few reach their destination, claiming a fatality rate of 98%. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homing_pigeon#Animal_exploitation
Jo Ann Harris is an author, parent, book devotee, writer, copywriter, and film fanatic. She is an autodidact who learns about everything and rows her boat. She grew up, worked in Atlanta, Georgia, and lived there for sixty years. She writes articles about love, hope, personal life stories, advice, and poems. She is a published author with an article in Woman’s World magazine in October 2017.
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