The preferred compass directions of homing pigeons can be affected by suitable screening of the home loft

Abstract

The homing behaviour of pigeons reared in cages with only one side screened to the wind was investigated. It was found that the screening strongly affects the initial orientation of the birds which, when released, tend to fly towards a direction intermediate between home and the direction opposite to the screened side of their home loft. The induced compass preference seems to be related to the amount of wind perceived inside the home loft. The effect is also present when the screens are made of opaque materials, in order to avoid sun light reflections. The induced orientational bias shows a high degree of plasticity: it can be modified in an appreciable way by transferring groups of pigeons into lofts screened on different sides.