Racing pigeons take to the skies
The News Review:
- Racing pigeons take to the skies
- A Single Wing Starts Quest For Mystery Bird
- Aviculture 101: companion bird basics
- Simon’s set for repeat success at Ekka
- Reading Pigeons’ Brains as They Fly
Racing pigeons take to the skies
Danville Commercial News
Racing pigeons — which originated in Belgium — is unlike most sports people have encountered. The birds are released from a location and expected to fly distances from 100 to 300 miles for young birds and up to 600 miles for older birds. Coffing said a good racing pigeon can fly at an average of 40 mph and up to 50 mph with a helpful wind. And that speed helps the bird not only cover the distance quickly but sometimes just to make sure it finishes the race at all. “Every time we take our birds out we worry about them” Coffing said. “They can run into predators and they can hit power lines. “We’ve had birds come in with broken legs because they hit wires and stuff or missing tail feathers when the hawk got them but they got away.
A Single Wing Starts Quest For Mystery Bird
NPR
Sinclair’s net shoots out but misses by inches. All Sinclair and Winky catch is a glimpse of that distinctive wing pattern as the bird escapes. And it definitely was a bird but the video’s so blurry it could be a pigeon. The adventurers had found their prey but failed to capture proof. Adventure Needs No ProofBut Nicholls says he’s not disappointed. “It is what it is and it’s part of the mystery and I wouldn’t change any of it” he says. “It would have been nice to have touched it and had a little quiet word in its ear a little friendly chat.
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Aviculture 101: companion bird basics
Examiner.com
For ALL companion birds of the three orders we’ve been discussing wire not mesh cages made of stainless steel are essential. Though some pigeons can handle chicken coop mesh do NT USE IT without first making sure it follows the industry standard cage requirements for your species. Members of these clubs know what kinds of cages will be safe and not safe for the kind of bird you are considering and give you great advice on how to set up your aviary. Remember that every species is unique and different and will have slightly different needs from another similar species. Though some guidelines disagree as to which bar spacing is optimal in this examiner’s experience and working from multiple guides the consensus seems to be the following: Small birds (birds up to 70 grams) Canaries finches parrotlets lovebirds and budgies etc.
Simon’s set for repeat success at Ekka
Sunshine Coast Daily
But he hopes they will avoid the disastrous end his prized bird met just days after he took out the Champion Flying Breed category. The 15-year-old from Kureelpa let his pigeon out for a wander and watched in horror as butcher birds swooped down and attacked. It was a tragic end to the baby pigeon that Simon hand-raised to prize-worthy status after its parents abandoned it. “It was a beautiful bird and because I hand-raised it” he said. “It would follow me everywhere. “Their instinct is just to fly around for maybe an hour and then go into the pen. But you can’t let the birds go once they’ve been rehabilitated because a lot of the butcher birds attack.
Reading Pigeons’ Brains as They Fly
New York Times
How homing pigeons find their way back to a starting point is not completely known. Studies have shown that the birds variously use the position of the sun and the earth’s magnetic field as a compass and sense of smell and visual cues as navigation aids. But the use of visual cues has been difficult to study because if a bird flies over a landmark and doesn’t change its course it’s impossible to know whether the bird has not perceived the cue or is ignoring it. The researchers developed tiny neurologgers to record electrical activity in the pigeons’ brains as they flew. The birds also carried small global positioning system units to track position. By matching brain activity to location the researchers could determine the effect of flying over a landmark. The birds’ flights began over water a relatively featureless environment and then continued over land to a homing point.
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