Pigeons | The local city flyers

Posted by Maanavendra Roy June 10, 2022

Pigeons | The local city flyers

Pigeons are the most close (Physically) living animals to most of the people around the world. Besides being cute and adorable they are known for their speed and endurable flying capabilities, For they can speed up to average speed of 27 m/s over average distances.(600 miles)

They have small but strong enough beaks on which a pair of ( awesome little cotton balls ; not really cotton) Ceres rest upon and connects to the nasal cavity. The size of a pigeon's brain is about equal to your both thumbs from each hand and has large eye relatively.

Wings

Forelimbs are modified as wings in all birds. In fact it is one of the characteristics that make them a bird. The wings are primarily of three divisions ; the upper arm, the forearm and the hand.

When the pigeon rests those three divisions rest upon each other and form a "z" pattern. During flight the arms and muscles are stretched along with the alar membrane that stretches between the upper and forearm along the anterior border of the limb.

It doesn't need quite an observer to notice that their are something special particularly the color. When an object for example looks red it means it reflects red and absorbs every other color in the visible spectrum. Pigments are the substances because of which the color are absorbed. Different pigments absorb different range of colors depending upon their atomic composition and properties for sake of examples Chlorophyll, Beta-carotene, Pelargonidhin-3-glucose, Zeaxanthin are some of them.

The pigeons' neck is not colored by pigments but by nano-scopic structures. When you at them through the microscope you will see different layers and arrangement of structure like holes, ridges and jagged surfaces which reflect only particular wavelength of light, that depends upon the arrangement and size. Such coloration with small scale 'ordered irregularities' is called "Structural Coloration". One of the types ,is very beautiful specular and seen in birds has iridescent behavior. (Iridescent :- Varying in color when seen in different lights or from different angles). Not only pigeons but even peacock feathers, blue macaws, frogs etc have structural coloration.

Pigeon were used so many times for so much time by so many people for carrying messages and letters. In roman times pigeons were used to deliver the results of big sports events and in ancient Egypt they are used to send messages from ships to their homes. Their literature also accounted for frequent mentions of carrier pigeons. They were also used during the two world wars. It is very clear from these sources that pigeon expertise in locating places and navigating themselves back. Recent researchers discovered presence of Magnetite in their beaks and suspect it to be linked with the pigeons magnetoreception abilities. Magnetites particles (Pure) are bio-mineralized in magnetosomes. These are like the GPS unit for the bird.

Pigeons are also good at locating with visual aids and smell.