What is Homing Pigeon?

Pigeon has ability to carry messages or letters from a certain area. Pigeons can carry a letter only to one direction only, and not vice versa. Pigeons will carry a letter from an area to its nest, but it could not deliver a letter from the nest to another place.

Pigeons can remember way back to the hive. It has a natural navigation in the brain and knows the magnetic field as a travel guide.

Photo by:  Ashithosh U:

Homing pigeon is used type of a much larger rock pigeon and have a big nose above the beak. Pigeon has the ability to fly far.

World War I, both Alliance and Axis forces used pigeons to send messages and secret messages to their parent post. Thanks to their pigeons get relief supplies or troops. At that time, radio technology has not advanced. Sometimes enemies can also hear a secret conversation. Pigeon will not be intercepted. Typically for a single message, the army would send some pigeons for sure the message will arrive. Though adept pigeon flying home, there are only one or two pigeons that failed to return. It could be birds of prey such as hawks and kestrel bird snatched it. Enemies also shot pigeon to read for news in a capsule that pigeons brought.

For the secret message, the soldiers use code language so that if the enemies capture the pigeon, they can read the messages. In World War II, Both axis and alliance used homing pigeon for sending messages. At the time, the radio was rare.

In our country, the police force still has homing pigeon. The animal unit police care pigeon beside horse and dogs. The Swiss army is still using a carrier pigeon.

Now the pigeon post was not used again to send the letter. Now is there a twitter can convey a message within a few seconds. It is no longer efficient to send a message via homing pigeon.

Now, Homing pigeon function as exhibition bird only. They are often trained pigeons on a regular basis. Pigeons released in significant amounts by a large container trucks brought. Before release, the owner fired a pistol ray pigeons to scare hawks and other predators.

Sometimes it also can be entered the exhibition by carrier pigeon enthusiasts clubs. Each pigeon will be given a rubber band that recorded the long journey pigeons. When the pigeon arrived, the owner will put a rubber band into the machine reader. The first pigeon that arrive to the home is the winner.
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