Hedges, edges help pigeons learn their way around

Date: January 22, 2014

Source: University of Oxford

Summary: Homing pigeons' ability to remember routes depends on the complexity of the landscape below, with hedges and boundaries between urban and rural areas providing ideal landmarks for navigation. Researchers released 31 pigeons from four sites around Oxford for an average of 20 flights each. They found that pigeons were better able to memorize flight paths when the landscape below was of a certain visual complexity, such as rural areas with hedgerows.

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