WHY DO RACING PIGEONS GET LOST. It is Thought that several Reasons could attribute to a Racing Pigeons Getting Lost
- Atmospheric Conditions
- Disturbances in the Local Magnetic Fields
- Losing Infrared locations from their Lofts
- Losing Solar and Stars for locators
- Illness of the Individual Bird
Imagine having a bird as a pet. Quite fascinating, Right! And you could send the message to your best friend or long-distance lover with the help of your amazing bird. Are you living a Harry Potter life? I think there can be nothing more interesting than this. Let’s find out if and how does it happen?
Why Do Racing Pigeons Get Lost / Facts about Racing Pigeons
People Race Pigeons for Sport.
They are competitively raced in local and National racing pigeon organizations around the world so in short the birds are released from a single location and fly home to multiple destinations. They are home locked so you can imagine the distance varies by loft location. The fastest overall bird wins the race. The distance, time, and rate are determined using a timing chip fitted to the bird’s leg and GPS.
Racing Pigeons are Very Fast.
They have been clocked flying 92 miles per hour average speed on a 400-mile race. Racing pigeons have been known to fly 700 miles home in one day.
Money
Racing pigeons have been sold or purchased for as much as four hundred thousand US dollars ( $ 400,000 US ). A pigeon named Bolt was bred by a famous Belgian pigeon racer named Heremans so this tells us that pigeons racing are pretty awesome
Parental Care / Both
Both parents care for their young. They are very diligent parents. Both sit on the eggs in morning-evening shifts.
Both produce milk-like substances to feed their young for the first few days. They are the only birds known to do this.
Eyesight– Pigeons can see 26 Miles
Racing pigeons can see well over 26-mile distance but they are not responsible for their homing ability. They use their eyes to descent to their loft.
Stamina – Pigeons can Fly 600 Miles/Day
They can fly 600-700 miles a day. Heroic was that when a pigeon that was released in Africa and took 55 days to fly to its home in England traveling a distance of about 7000 miles. Or Cheri story of Heroism
Smart – Pigeon Intelligence
Ina recent experiment, it was discovered that pigeons can learn to distinguish between real words from non-words by visually processing their letter combinations. So if anybody calls you Birdbrain, take this as a compliment.
Science of Homing Pigeons
Homing pigeons are a kind of domestic pigeons who are descendants of rock pigeons. They are known to come back home even after travelling 1000 miles.
They are called great messengers showing their ability while World War I and World War II. Have you ever thought of how this happens? If we would want to locate, we generally use our GPS, map, and smartphone.
Well, there are many hypotheses regarding their homecoming. According to researchers, pigeons have a map and compass mechanism. The compass mechanism helps fly in the correct direction and the mapping mechanism helps them to compare where they are right now and where they should be- their home. Some say they use the sun as their compass. They use the angle and position of the sun to determine which direction they should fly.
Some scientists say Pigeons use Magnetoreception, which includes using the magnetic field of Earth for their guidance. It is found that their beak has Iron particles for easy detection of the magnetic field. They listen to the surrounding sounds until they detect the signature sounds of their house. They can also use familiar landmarks when they reach nearby.
What Happens to Racing Pigeons Who Get Lost?
Pigeons normally come home after 2 days if they fly somewhere. It is said that they are destroyed once they get lost. They are no longer of their racing use. Pigeon fanciers found them injured or with missing feathers. They have a code of practice with their members and take responsibility for lost birds.
You may find a lost racing pigeon, what will you do then? We should first know why do they get lost. It may be due to misdirection by the atmosphere. You have to capture it first so throw a towel or large cloth on it and gently pick it.
You can contact their owners with the help of a ring or wing stamp showing their owner’s details.
These are well-fed birds so give them uncooked rice, birdseed, or lentils. Don’t forget to give it some water in a deep dish. They are mostly injured or having their last breaths so give it the best first aid you can provide. In severe cases, you should contact the veterinarian. Some say the pigeons who can’t find their way back home are not valued.
How Do I Get Back a Lost Racing Pigeon?
Always put an identification mark on your pigeon. Train them properly. For that start them homing and let them live there for at least a month and when you realize they are comfortable with that, you are going to load them up just and start with one mile, and after they fly that one mile they’ll be able to push that to two miles and then gradually five, eight, and then ten miles. Don’t take immature birds in this session.
So with their ability to determine their home location, they will come back if their training is done properly. You can contact the Local pigeon club near you if somebody would have found your pigeon and contacted them. Pigeon fanciers help to get the birds back to their form and release them. It will track its home and come back.
Why Does a Pigeon Keep Coming Back to My Home?
It is somewhat related to astrology if you believe. Pigeons are said to be the messengers of peace and love. They also represent luck favoring us in terms of love, since they can reproduce for their whole life. Also, they are thought as messengers delivering people’s messages to them.
They remove negativity from your house and spread peace and calmness. If a pigeon comes back to your home that means it is attracted towards good vibes in your house. Always feed that pigeon as it will radiate more positivity in their surroundings which will benefit you. Provide some water near feeding. You can use an automatic pigeon feeder.
The other reason for coming back can be in search of a nesting place. They don’t like wind and need shelter such as ledges rooftops where they can build their nest and lay eggs properly. Don’t let them breed or build their nest in your house. They need Their own Roost, Loft. Make sure to clean their poop for the same reason.
Making your home as theirs is not a good idea but regular visits are. But if we think scientifically nothing good or bad is going to happen due to pigeons’ regular visits but you’ll surely find a lot of excreta. Sometimes racing pigeons stop to take a rest during training. Racing Pigeons are different than keeping a pet. You are training them to Race, Return home to their nest, their mates and young.
How Do I Find The Owner of a Lost Racing Pigeon?
After having food and water the bird recovers its strength and continues on its way if it does not, and you can get hold of the bird, then there is a way of tracing the owner. All racing pigeons carry metal and plastic ring that has a series of numbers and letters on it.
This is like the registration plate on a motor car and it enables the appropriate unions to put you in touch with the owner of the bird. This is a typical racing pigeon life ring you see it has letters, the year, the date that identifies the owner of the bird. It may have a stamp on its wing indicating the telephone number of the owner or be carrying a separate ring with the telephone number on this will enable you to contact the owner directly.
So the first thing to do is contain the bird, put it in a box with a little bit of food and water, and then read the number on the ring. If you know your local pigeon club you contact them or the National Union for racing pigeons in your country. They keep records of the owners of all racing pigeons and will be able to put you in touch with the owner of the lost bird and he or she will then make arrangements to get the bird collected from you.
CONCLUSION
Pigeons, the oldest domesticated birds are well-bred for their homing ability, delivering messages called ‘pigeon posts’. Pigeons are thought to be even smarter than dogs. They are still in their service in the military.
