Pigeons: some facts that prove their intelligence!

Pigeons are unwelcome guests in our homes. We adopt various bird control methods to protect our beautiful buildings and ourselves and our kids from the diseases that they spread. But besides all the destruction that they cause and the diseases that they spread, they are quite intelligent birds. Read some of the facts to believe in the intelligence of these birds.

• Pigeons are one of the only 6 species of birds to have passed the mirror test. They have the ability to recognize their reflection in the mirror.

• Pigeons can recognize all 26 letters of the English language and can also conceptualize the same.

• Pigeons can differentiate between photographs and also between two different human beings.

• Studies have shown that pigeons have amazing perception. They are able to recognize faces and avoid people who tried chasing them away.

• Navy researchers believe that pigeons can be trained to save humans at sea. They have the ability to identify colors like humans. In fact, in a study, pigeons were found to be many times quicker than humans when it came to identifying survivors in a sinking boat. Pigeons on being trained can easily recognize red and yellow jackets floating in the water.

• As well as identifying colors, pigeons can also see ultra-violet colors in the spectrum. This unique quality makes them ideal for live saving.

• Pigeons even if released 400-600 miles away from their homes can still return to their own roost. They make use of roads, freeways, sun, landmarks, and even infra sounds for travelling back to their homes.

These and many more such facts illustrate that pigeons are intelligent and quite special than most other birds.