People for the Preservation of Pigeons

People for the Preservation of Pigeons is concerned with the protection and preservation of mankind's oldest domestic bird, the gentle and loyal pigeon. We support pro-pigeonism in order to promote their positive portrayal in society. Pigeons bring joy to millions who appreciate how they animate our cities. Pigeons were routinely used in wartime as airborne couriers flying over rough terrain and behind enemy lines carrying messages strapped to their legs.

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Thursday, June 12, 2008

Pigeons Are Smarter Than a Three-Year Old

Pigeons: Smarter than a three-year-old

USA Today

News from Japan that may make parents scramble for their Baby Mozart CDs.

Scientists there have shown pigeons are better at self-recognition than three-year-old children. The birds can also tell a Van Gogh from a Chagall.

Prof. Shigeru Watanabe of Keio University and a grad student found the pigeons were good at identifying their own mug in a video image. The birds could distinguish between video self-images that showed their movements vs. video images that didn't show their movements. That was even with a 5-7 second delay in the video.

The average three-year-old child has trouble recognizing their self-image with just a two-second delay.

We know self-recognition isn't uniquely human. Chimpanzees, dolphins and elephants also have the ability. The pigeon finding suggests an animal doesn't need a large brain to know its own image.

And sorry, kids -- this self-recognition thing? It's for the birds.

By Jess Zielinski

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How Pigeons Served Mankind

Andrew Blechman, author of Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird:

Interview:

"The first two were shot down immediately, the last one, Cher Ami, was sent up and it was shot down by a barrage of gunfire, almost to the earth, but for whatever reason it plucked courage and was able to flap its wings again, gained enough altitude to get out of gunshot range and 20 minutes later was back at headquarters. When it landed it was missing an eye, its breastbone had been cracked and the message was dangling from all that was left of its leg which was tendon, and yet the message was there. The message said 'please rescue us' and it was sent immediately to the commander of the allied forces and the soldiers were rescued. Now, you're looking at hundreds of men's lives literally dependant on one pound of flesh and feathers."

Prior to the age of electronic communication, pigeons were one of the most reliable forms of communication in existence. During World War I, pigeons carried thousands of messages that saved many hundreds of lives. In World War II pigeons continued to be used. Radios were frequently not working due to damage or unfavorable terrain rendered them almost useless. Pigeons continued to fly through enemy fire, and amazingly 95% of them completed their missions.

One such pigeon was Cher Ami. Cher Ami was a registered black check cock World War I Carrier Pigeon, one of 600 birds owned and flown by the U.S. Signal Corps. Cher Ami was originally bred by the British Signal Corps. He was transferred to the Americans after the war on Oct. 27, 1918.

Cher Ami delivered 12 important messages within the American sector at Verdun, France. On his last mission, Cher Ami, shot through the breast by enemy fire, managed to return to his loft. A message capsule was found dangling from the ligaments of one of his legs that had also been shattered by enemy fire. The message he carried was from Major Whittlesey's "Lost Battalion" of the 77th Infantry Division that had been isolated from other American forces. Just a few hours after the message was received, 194 survivors of the battalion were safe behind American lines.

Cher Ami was awarded the French "Croix de Guerre" with Palm for his heroic service between the forts of Verdun. He died in 1919 as a result of his battle wounds. Cher Ami was later inducted into the Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame in 1931 and received a gold medal from the Organized Bodies of American Racing Pigeon Fanciers in recognition of his extraordinary service during World War I. Cher Ami is now in the posession of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and will soon be on display at the National Museum of American History in the Armed Forces History Hall.

Pigeons performed other duties besides delivering important messages. Pigeons were even fitted with cameras that took pictures of enemy troops. This provided vital intelligence information.

Cher Ami was only one of many World War I carrier pigeons that were decorated for heroism in battle.

Pigeons continued their valiant service during World War II and the Korean War. The Dickin Medal for Valor, an award only for animals, was given to 31 pigeons in World War II, more than any other animal (the next closest animals were dogs, with 8 medals).

"Their intelligence, spirit, titanic bonders of loyalty and astounding homing ability sets them apart from other birds.” - Animal Planet Media President Marjorie Kaplan.

Pigeons' navigational abilities, which are largely dependent on keen vision and an exceptional memory for topographic details, are legendary. A 10-year study of pigeon flight patterns conducted at Oxford University found that the birds rely more on their knowledge of human transport routes than on their internal magnetic compasses. One behavioral psychologist who studies pigeons remarked, "Pigeons commit new images to memory at lightning speed. ... They organize images of things into the same logical categories that human beings use when we conceptualize. - Ingrid Newkirk, PETA

Living in Harmony with Pigeons

Pigeon Netting and Trafficking

To turn in pigeon netters (state of New York), please call the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Tips Hotline at 800-847-7332 and Dispatch at 718- 482-4885 and the following:

Captain Tim Machnica
cell - 845 429-5141

Officer Buckley
718-482-4885
email: mcbuckley@gw.dec.state.ny.us

Captain Ron Staveck
718-482-4982

Lieutenant Rivers
718-482-6431

Officer Toth
718-482-4985

Officer Joseph Pane
718-482-4941

Emergency
877-457-5680

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Public Protection Dispatch Center
(518) 897-1326/(877) 457-5680

A.S.P.C.A.
Special Investigator Mark MacDonald
email: markm@aspca.org

Parks Enforcement Patrol Captain Edwin Falcon
(718) 760-6966

Assistant Commissioner of Urban Park Rangers
Michael Dockett
212-360-2778

Deputy Director of Urban Park Rangers
Richard Simon
212-360-2774

Individuals with information, may call the HSUS live pigeon shoot tip line at 1-800-637-4124.

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For centuries domestic pigeons were revered, until the 1960's and 70's when there was a concerted effort and false campaign employed by the pest control industry so that pigeons could be exterminated, thereby creating a billion dollar industry.

"People worry that pigeons carry disease, but the danger is an exaggeration created by pest control companies looking for business."
- Guy Hodge
Naturalist for the Humane Society of the United States.

Science now tells us that the pigeon has been found to be able to remember hundreds of faces and are equal to higher order animals, such as dolphins and porpoises in their cognitive abilities.

Pigeons are amongst the most intelligent birds. According to a study conducted by the University of Montana, “[the pigeon] is one of the smartest, most physically adept creatures in the animal kingdom.”

The pigeon can recognize all 26 letters of the English language.

They can be taught relatively complex actions and response sequences, and can learn to make responses in different sequences.

In scientific tests pigeons have been found to be able to differentiate between photographs and even between two different human beings in a photograph.

A study conducted at Keio University in Japan demonstrated that pigeons could learn to distinguish between a Van Gogh and a Chagall paintings, based on multiple feature cues, such as color and pattern.

Pigeons can remember large numbers of individual images for a long time, for example hundreds of images for periods of several years.

YouTube: Pigeon Genius

Project Sea Hunt

People for the Preservation of Pigeons

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Pigeons Are Smarter Than a Three-Year Old

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