Pigeon Racing Research Articles

Flight of the mystery birds

Flight of the mystery birds

Pigeon racing clubs in Pas-de-Calais, France, 1870–1914

The history and geography of sports in nineteenth- and twentieth-century France have been studied intensively during the last thirty years but one sport – that of pigeon racing – has received virtually no attention. This paper ventures into a largely unexplored field. After describing briefly the general history of homing pigeons and the specific geography of pigeon racing clubs in France in 1890, it focuses on the département of Pas-de-Calais in northern France. Pas-de-Calais and the adjacent département of Nord together accounted for more than half of the just over 400 pigeon racing clubs identified in France in 1890. Within the context of the rapid development between 1870 and 1914 of its population, society and economy (and especially its coalmining industry), Pas-de-Calais saw the creation of more than one thousand recreational societies, especially sports clubs, among them numerous pigeon racing clubs. Three hundred pigeon racing clubs in one of the département's six arrondissements – that of Béthune – are examined closely from surviving but fragmentary sources. The aims, names, membership and racing activities of these societies are studied from their unpublished records. They are shown to have developed in close association with the growth of coalmining communities and in particular with the role of Belgian immigrants in those communities.

DNA Polymorphism within <i>LDH-A</i> Gene in Pigeon (<i>Columba livia</i>)

Pigeons (Columba livia) have long history of selective breeding for many purposes; one of them is pigeon racing using their homing ability. A total of 221 pigeon samples were sequenced for lactate dehydrogenase-A gene (LDHA) including part of exon 5 and part of exon 6 and intervening intron 5. Six polymorphic sites were identified in intron 5; one indel and five SNPs. Statistical significant differences in allele frequencies were observed for 595bp and 600bp alleles between homing and non-homing groups in both Japanese and Egyptian pigeons. The frequency of 600bp allele was higher in both Japanese and Egyptian homing than in non-homing pigeons (P<0.0001). In Japanese pigeons; significant difference in allele frequency of three SNPs was observed between homing and non-homing groups, while in Egyptian pigeons, although similar tendency was observed, the difference in allele frequency was not significant. The DNA polymorphisms of pigeon LDH-A gene can be a potential genetic marker for homing ability in racing pigeon breeding.

Eighteen polymorphic microsatellites for domestic pigeon Columba livia var. domestica developed by cross species amplification of chicken markers

Domestic pigeon (Columba livia var. domestica) belongs to the order Columbiformes of the family Columbidae, and has been used since ages as messengers to carry brief written messages, due to speed, altitude and homing behaviour. The wild rock pigeon was domesticated hundreds of years ago and it was bred into several varieties for their appearance, flying capabilities and for the sport of pigeon racing. ‘Racing homer’ and ‘Birmingham Roller’ are the two best known varieties. Pigeons are also reported to be carrier of certain parasites which cause health problems in humans and domestic animals (Trovnicek et al. 2002; Haag-Wackernagel and Spiewak 2004). Domestic pigeon is threatened throughout its distribution range by introduced predators, habitat loss and changes in urban landscapes due to rapid development. Around 59 species of pigeon and dove are threatened with extinction today; this is 19% of all species (Walker 2007). No genetic study has been carried out till date for isolation and development of molecular markers in pigeon except by Traxler et al. (2000). Despite the relative ease of isolating microsatellites, their development still requires substantial input of time, money and expertise. Therefore, utilization of cross-species markers provides a rapid and cost effective solution for species from which markers have not been cloned or information is limited. Many studies have shown that microsatellite loci are often conserved among closely related species including birds (Moore et al. 1991; Primmer et al. 1996; Wilson et al. 2004; Huang et al. 2005; Kupper et al. 2007; Zhou et al. 2009; Thakur et al. 2011). Since we had already transferred chicken microsatellites in other galliformes (Thakur et al. 2011) and anseriformes (Mukesh et al. 2011). Therefore, we tested whether

Fat quill secretion in pigeons: could it function as a cosmetic?

Abstract In order to maintain functionality of the plumage, birds apply a variety of fatty substances to the feathers, usually derived from the preen gland. Such secretions could also have cosmetic functions, altering plumage reflectance, and there is indeed some evidence for such cosmetic functions of preen fats. Some birds, noticeably pigeons, use fats derived from modified feathers, so called fat quills, in a presumably similar fashion, but almost nothing is known about their putative functions. Here we present a first test of the possibility that fat quill secretion could function as a cosmetic. As models we used domestic pigeon races that produce fat quills, we first confirm their extensive use in plumage maintenance behaviour. We then assessed the effect of experimental addition and removal fat quill secretion on reflectance of white feathers using reflectance spectrometry and physiological models of avian colour vision. Addition of secretion to cleaned white feathers resulted in a significant, discriminable change in the feather reflectance spectrum, which was strikingly similar to the absorbance spectrum of passerine preen gland secretion. However, like previous studies on preen gland secretion, removal of fats from intact feathers did not significantly alter feather reflectance, indicating that fat quill secretion when present in quantities as applied by the birds does not noticeably affect plumage reflectance. Therefore we conclude that the potential for the fat quill secretion to modify plumage colour appears limited at best, and other functions, such as antibiotic defense against feather-degrading bacteria, should be considered.

Pigeon Racing And Working-Class Culture in Britain, C. 1870–1950

ABSTRACTPigeon racing was immensely popular amongst male industrial workers in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This article offers an overview of the history of pigeon racing in this period before moving on to explore the sport's multiple meanings for those who took part. Pigeon racing offered not only the thrills and excitement of racing but also the more sedate and intellectual rewards of breeding and rearing the birds. The pigeon loft was a masculine enclave and a retreat from the pressures of domestic life for some, although for others it was an opportunity to share time with their family. As such, pigeon racing demonstrates the complexities of working-class masculinity. Pigeon keeping was also expensive, time consuming and required space. The article thus concludes by arguing that despite the agency workers were able to exercise over their leisure, they were still restricted by wider material constraints.

May dehydration risk govern long‐distance migratory behaviour?

During migration, the critical costs and benefits for birds are foremost considered in terms of time, energy and predation risk (e.g. Alerstam and Lindstr6m 1990, Houston 1998). Recently, as in evolutionary ecology in general, also costs of parasitism and immune defence have been added to this list of factors that govern avian migration (Moller and Erritzoe 1998, Figuerola and Green 2000, Waldenstr6m et al. 2002). Although it was regarded as a potential danger to migrants at a relatively early stage (Yapp 1956, 1962), the potential threat of water imbalance during migration has seldom been considered a truly relevant factor that could potentially constrain a large proportion of long-distance migrants. Stimulated by this issue's publication of Sapir et al.'s (2004) study on the effect of free water on fuel-deposition rate in blackcaps Sylvia atricapilla and lesser whitethroats S. curruca in the Negev desert, I would like to briefly review the current status of Yapp's hypothesis that migrants' water budgets may constrain their migratory performance. For a bird, as for many other organisms, inadequate hydration is incompatible with life. Numerous observations exist of birds eagerly ingesting water upon arrival at a stopover site (e.g. Biebach 1990, Pennycuick et al. 1996), a phenomenon that is also well known from pigeon racing. Despite these suggestive observations and the severe consequences of dehydration, the risk of dehydration is not perceived by the majority of ornithologists to be a major and serious constraint during longdistance migration, not even when deserts or oceans have to be crossed. An important impetus for disregarding this potential constraint has been the fact that lowered body-water contents have only rarely been observed with sufficient certainty in long-distance (trans-desert) migrants (Biebach 1990, 1991, Landys et al. 2000). However, various studies on birds and mammals have shown that body water content is in fact a poor indicator of dehydration stress, since it tends to remain stable in animals dying from water restriction (Chew 1951, 1961, Dawson et al. 1979). With this important argument, on which researchers previously have refuted the possibility that a migrant's life is at least partly controlled by the risk of water imbalance (e.g. Biebach 1990, 1991, Landys et al. 2000) becomes invalid. I think that the scope for water stress as an important determinant of migratory behaviour is potentially much larger than most ornithologists are inclined to believe nd I would like to argue that we have been too focussed on finding birds that have been in a physiological state of dehydration, and not on behaviour directed at avoiding dehydration and optimising water balance. Although physiological adaptations in metabolic rate, evaporative water loss and body temperature maintenance may play a substantial role (e.g. Tieleman et al. 2003), problems of water stress in desert birds are generally thought to be solved mainly through behavioural strategies (e.g. Maclean 1996, Williams et al. 1999). If maintaining water balance was the only constraint, the three simple rules to live along in a desert are: stay out of the sun, find yourself a cool place and take it easy during the hottest parts of the day. Migrants may adopt the very same rules of thumb to avoid dehydration. During the hottest parts of the day they might for instance choose to land and find a shaded resting spot, as many birds in fact do while crossing deserts. You may find them sitting immobile in little crevasses, car tracks, or in the protection of anything else that may provide a little bit of shade. Thus, even in the absence of any direct physiological signs of dehydration, the behaviour of migrants may well be governed by the threat of dehydration. Although alternative explanations are possible (e.g. Kerlinger and Moore 1989, Schwilch et al. 2002), the landfall of many birds in the Sahara desert during daytime (Biebach 1990, Biebach et al. 1991, 2000) might be a behavioural strategy to avoid water imbalance. Using the altitudinal profiles of wind, temperature, pressure, and humidity Klaassen and Biebach (2000), and Liechti et al. (2000) tried to explain the altitudinal distributions of nocturnal migrants recorded by radar above deserts in Egypt and Israel. To this end they used

Infrasound and the Avian Navigational Map

Birds can navigate accurately over hundreds to thousands of kilometres, and this ability of homing pigeons is the basis for a worldwide sport. Compass senses orient avian flight, but how birds determine their location in order to select the correct homeward bearing (map sense) remains a mystery. Also mysterious are rare disruptions of pigeon races in which most birds are substantially delayed and large numbers are lost. Here, it is shown that in four recent pigeon races in Europe and the northeastern USA the birds encountered infrasonic (low-frequency acoustic) shock waves from the Concorde supersonic transport. An acoustic avian map is proposed that consists of infrasonic cues radiated from steep-sided topographic features; the source of these signals is microseisms continuously generated by interfering oceanic waves. Atmospheric processes affecting these infrasonic map cues can explain perplexing experimental results from pigeon releases.

Infrasound and the avian navigational map.

Birds can navigate accurately over hundreds to thousands of kilometres, and this ability of homing pigeons is the basis for a worldwide sport. Compass senses orient avian flight, but how birds determine their location in order to select the correct homeward bearing (map sense) remains a mystery. Also mysterious are rare disruptions of pigeon races in which most birds are substantially delayed and large numbers are lost. Here, it is shown that in four recent pigeon races in Europe and the northeastern USA the birds encountered infrasonic (low-frequency acoustic) shock waves from the Concorde supersonic transport. An acoustic avian map is proposed that consists of infrasonic cues radiated from steep-sided topographic features; the source of these signals is microseisms continuously generated by interfering oceanic waves. Atmospheric processes affecting these infrasonic map cues can explain perplexing experimental results from pigeon releases.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Trouble

PHYSIOLOGY The remarkable ability of birds to navigate accurately over thousands of kilometers demands both a sense of location (map sense) and of direction (compass sense). The primary contributors to directional flight are sun and magnetic compasses. From an analysis of four homing pigeon races in

A History of the Imagination

I was sailing to Cincinnati with the King of Belgium in his private steamship. (It is not an easy thing to sail to Cincinnati from Africa! you say, cynical as always. Though a river town, Cincinnati is far from the world's great oceans! Except in dreams, I say?in dreams Cincinnati is an easy sail from Africa, especially in such a ship as belongs to the King of All the Belgians with its wonderful featherbeds, its frequent cocktail hours announced by the ship's silver bell, its golden ropes and handsome sailors who speak, I suppose, Walloon.) I was accompanying the King to the funeral to be held later that day for the last passenger pigeon, which had died the day before in the Cincinnati Zoo. (You cannot travel from the Congo to Cincinnati in only a day! you shout, fit to be tied. Tut-tut! I say, not at all troubled by such questions of travel. For me, travel had become a thought.) We have a special fondness for pigeons, the King said as we stood at the rail and watched the whales rush through the ocean like loco motives. Pigeon racing is the national sport of Belgium, you I did not know.

Pigeon Homing in the Meteorological and Solar‐geomagnetic Environment: what Pigeon Race Data say

AbstractIn this statistical analysis, the fastest 25% of homing speeds in 5955 races conducted in West Germany on 194 days in 1973–1990 and the return rates in 18 pigeon races held in 1932–1957 in Italy were examined with respect to distance, cloud cover, wind, sferics, solar and magnetic variables. 1. Under sun, the speeds rapidly increased with distance from 120 up to 240 km and slowly declined beyond 240 km. 2. Correlations between race and wind speeds were maximized by rotating clockwise and extrapolating the local surface wind linearly according to the average wind profile (difference between the mean surface and mean 900 m‐height wind vector). The best predictors indicated the speeds of the winds the birds encountered aloft, which were blowing at lower heights in headwinds than in tailwinds. 3. The air speeds correlated negatively with the effective wind forces roughly in agreement with Pennycuick's theory of bird flight. 4. Rates of atmospherics (2.8–38 kHz, 0.02–0.4V/m recorded in Berlin) correlated negatively with the speeds. 5. Under sun, the difference between the fastest and slowest speed correlated with sunspot numbers (R) in a very active solar cycle (1979–1987), but not in the preceding and following cycles which had lesser activity. 6. Under sun, the speeds correlated directly or indirectly with solar and magnetic activity (25% and 21 % of the samples per year and per homeward direction, respectively), but did so only in 9.9% and 6.9% of samples (respectively) when races to the same home area were sampled over the years. Under overcast, most of the correlations were negative. 7. While magnetic disturbances appeared to coincide with higher speeds inconsistently under sun, they appeared to interfere with the speeds consistently under overcast. Under sun, the seasonal median speeds, unlike the daily median ones, correlated negatively with magnetic activity. 8. Hourly variations of the geomagnetic field components correlated negatively with the speeds in 1973–1975 in western, but positively in eastern and southern, homeward directions. 9. The return rates in Italian pigeon races were best predicted by hourly variations of the horizontal intensity of the regional geomagnetic field and second‐best by sunspot numbers. 10. The significance of the results for understanding the role of the meteorological and solar‐magnetic environment in pigeon homing is discussed.