How Pigeons Really Get Home

Homing pigeons (38)______ for their uncanny internal compass, yet a new study reveals that sometimes the birds get home the same way we do: They follow the roads. Tim Guilford and Dora Biro at England’s Oxford University followed pigeons in Oxford over a (39)______ period, using tiny tracking devices equipped with global positioning system technology (40)______ by Swiss and Italian colleagues.

What they discovered was surprising. Within ten kilometers of home, the pigeons relied less on their well-known talents for decoding the sun’s position or deciphering the Earth’s magnetic field to help them navigate. Instead they opted for a habitual route that followed linear features in the landscape, such as roads, rivers, railways, and hedge lines - even when it wasn’t (41)______ direct way home. “It was almost comical,” says Guilford. “One pigeon followed a road to a roundabout, then exited onto a major road that led to a second roundabout. Others flew down the River Thames, only to make a (42)______ turn at a bridge.” Guilford suggests that sticking to a memorized, linear route may actually make homing more reliable - and easier. “It made me smile to see it,” says Guilford. “You can imagine yourself flying along a road doing the same thing.”