Q) c :; a (/) 0 0 i::a.. Dr. Quine, su"ounded by laboratory parapher­ nalia, at Cornell. I OJIN);f,f t•ua:o 1.01 I' One ofthe Cornell pigeon lofts, showing the homers crowding on the land­ ing board. Pigeon in infrasound testing chamber with door open. 14 AVIARY Can Pigeons "Hear" WEST Their Way Home? No. AW-36 Diameter 11'" by Tanner S. Chrisler and Bag Depth 16"' Handle 36'" Douglas B. Quine No. AW-18 Diameter 11 •• Bag Depth 16"' Handle 18'" No. AW-12 Julius Caesar used Homing Pigeons to strains of Racing Homers in America, 8"' Keeton's team learned that these birds 11"' carry messages from the remote corners of 12"' Europe to home, in Rome. That was two primarily use the sun to navigate. They thousand years ago. Ever since that time, have some ~ind of uncanny internal thoughtful people have wondered at these timeclock that tells them where the sun amazing birds, and in the present century, should be in the sky at any moment in the this wonder has manifested itself in some day at home. When they are released at a honest scientific study, trying to learn just place where the sun is not where it should how they do it. What "super-human be, they seem to know how to relate this to Our nets feature 100% nylon netting. hardwood powers" do the pigeons possess that enable where the sun would be at home, compare handles, and spring steel them to take off in unfamiliar territory, the two, and head toward home. hoops. make a few circles, and fly home with So much for ideal conditions, on a clear 3018 LA PLATA AVENUE remarkable speed? day with sunlight. Gradually, the Cornell HACIENDA HEIGHTS. CA 91745 Scientists in Germany, England, Italy, people stripped away one visual cue after Switzerland and the United States were another. What happens on overcast days? (213) 330-8700 probing at this question. Then in 1967, Dr. What happens at night? (The researchers William T. Keeton in the Avian Orienta­ did train enough pigeons to home at night tion Research Project, at Cornell Univer­ to complete that experiment.) What hap­ sity, Ithaca, New York, turned his atten­ pens when the pigeons are wearing foggy Wickett & Sons, contact lenses, that obscure any image tion to the question. For many years Cor­ ~ nell had the reputation of having one of beyond a few yards? They still come Exotic Birds the world's leading centers of research in home. How? The pigeons can discern the Rt. 1 Box 24 animal behavior - everything from polarity of light in the sky and probably honeybees to monkeys. Keeton was a still tell where the sun is, despite the over­ ! Jefferson, OR "natural" - not only because of his cast. Perhaps they can tie this with an abili­ 97352 boyhood interest as a pigeon fancier, but ty to perceive light in the ultraviolet range - because of his broad, multidisciplinary and spot the position of the sun - through Wholesale Only background in many areas of science, the clouds. besides biology. In addition to his for­ Later research showed that the pigeons Parrots Macaws midable reputation as one of the most are extremely sensitive to barometric popular professors at Cornell and his pressure, extraterrestrial gravity (pull of Conures Finches recognition in the scientific world, Keeton the moon), and the magnetic north pole on had the ability to get the funds he needed to earth. Still, it seemed that the explanation do the work at hand. This was vital to sus­ of the pigeon's homing ability was in­ Cockatoos tain a program on pigeons that would take complete. After each discovery, a many years to show some results. thorough attempt was made to strip-away Cockatiels As most readers already know, birds are the birds' ability to utilize the previously basically visual (eye-brained) animals. explored senses, and a significant number Parakeets They use their eyes to find food, to detect could still find home, almost as though danger, and to receive certain mating they were without any handicap. They Tame Birds stimuli. So the research under Keeton's must have some other senses. A laboratory direction started by exploring how the in Italy had run some convincing ex­ Sexed Pairs pigeons use their eyes to find the signals for periments that lead to the conclusion that orientation and navigation. The first ten pigeons use their sense of smell to find Call or write for years of his project were involved mostly home. But, try as they may, the Cornell current prices with visual stimuli, but a few other researchers could not replicate these ex­ "powers" entered the picture along periments. This may have been due to the the way. difference in climate or the difference in (503)327-2261 Using pigeons from the established the birds used, but Cornell finally dropped 15 its olfactory explorations on homing In tests to demonstrate the pigeons' pigeons. This left the sense of hearing, and ability to sense a change in pitch, Quine !¥'~ !¥'me !¥'eaduned they rolled up their sleeves. Are you ready? found that - between 1 Hz and 10 Hz - proudly presents To understand hearing, it is helpful to the pigeons could discriminate between Topper's Bird Feed know a little about sound. The easiest way very slight differences in pitch, a small (average protein 17%) This seed is coated with all vitamins, to think of sound is like the waves that are fraction of a Hertz apart. Remarkable! minerals & amino acids recommended formed when you drop a rock in a pond. A This was not just a breakthrough in pigeon by most prominent veterinarians. big rock makes a high wave with a long research. It was a breakthrough with any Diamond Doves: silver & normal Cockatlels on order distance between the top of one wave and kind of animal. Pigeons can hear INFRA­ FOR INFORMATION: the top of the next. A small rock makes a SOUND - a whole "new" spectrum - far Write Box 1486, below the threshold of human hearing. Canoga Park, CA 91304 small wave with less distance between the or call (213) 340-6318 top of one wave and the next. In sound we And they can not only hear down there, call the height of the wave amplitude (or but they can detect very slight differences loudness). The length between one peak in pitch down there. This is fantastic! and the next is called wavelength. This is To understand how the pigeons may use used also to describe the rate of speed that this ability to find their way home, .let us the waves hit the shore, and it is called fre­ consider for a moment the sound of a train quency (or pitch). In sound pitch is whistle. If you are outdoors and a train measured in cycles per second (waves per whistle blows (say 260 Hz, or a wavelength second). In recent years, cycles per second of 4 feet), you can not only hear it, but you PARROTS: has been renamed Hertz (Hz) in honor of can tell what direction it is coming from. Their Care & Breeding the German physicist (not the car rental Even though this soundwave is rather by Rosemary Low company). So much for the technical long, it hits one ear in a slightly different This is the most comprehensive coverage of the jargon. way than it hits the other ear. Your brain parrot family in captivity. This book deals very Most people can hear low-pitched interprets this difference and tells you thoroughly with all aspec~s of patrot keeping and sounds from about 20 to 30 Hz up to high­ which direction the whistle came from. includes true experiences of many breeders throughout the world. 670 pages, 90 full color pitched sounds of about 12,QOO Hz, However, if you hear a very distant photos and 20 b/w illustrations. Regular price: depending on age and other factors. thunderstorm, you may not be able to tell $55.00 However, at the extreme ends of this spec­ where the sound is coming from. This is THIS MONTH'S SPECIAL trum, the sounds must be rather loud to be because the air has filtered out all but the $ 5 I. 50 Postpaid audible. (For example, the fundamental very lowest pitches. These sounds have Send $1.00 (refundable) for our latest catalog. pitches from a piano range from about 28 such long waves that there is no DEALERS WANTED Hz to 4186 Hz.) But what about pigeons' measurable difference between the way Request wholesale price list & catalog on your letterhead. hearing? Earlier tests had shown that the waves strike one ear and the way they pigeons were about as sensitive as humans strike the other. Sounds of such low pitch Avian Publications 310 Maria Drive, Dept. WB between 200 Hz and 10,000 Hz. Nobody are non-directional to humans, because we Wausau, WI 54401 had investigated the pigeons' ability to can not tell the direction of their source. (715) 845-5101 hear low-pitched sounds - really low­ But we have reasons to believe than hom­ pitched sounds, below the range of human ing pigeons can - not when they are stan­ hearing, which are know as "INFRA­ ding still, but - when they are released to SOUNDS". Dr. Melvin Kreithen and fly home. As you know, they do not usual­ Marilyn Yodlowski (an undergraduate ly take off for home right away; they fly student) tried the pigeons more than an oc­ out in a wide circle, which they may repeat tave below the range of human hearing - several times, before setting their course.