Bird brainiacs: The genius of pigeons
- 04 May 2014 by Kirsten Weir
- Magazine issue 2967.
FROM the piazzas of Venice to the sidewalks of New York City, the same refrain appears on signs the world over: "Do Not Feed the Pigeons!" "We just see them as a nuisance, flocking around McDonald's and pecking all the French fries," says Onur Güntürkün, who has studied pigeons for more than three decades.
It wasn't always this way. Not so long ago, we stuffed Columba livia specimens for display in military museums, honouring them for their brave flights transporting messages across enemy territory. Charles Darwin took up pigeon breeding to help him hone his theory of natural selection, and was dazzled by their charms. Before a visit from his friend the geologist Charles Lyell, Darwin wrote: "I will show you my pigeons! Which is the greatest treat, in my opinion, which
