Why Are Pigeons So Dumb?
A lot of people consider pigeons as dumb. These pigeons can poop on us anytime and anywhere, fight over food like idiots, and act like buffons.
But, why are pigeons so dumb? Actually, they aren’t dumb and are a lot smarter than people think of them as they can do many tasks such as multi-tasking, choosing, and remembering all of which require intelligence.
I know it’s hard to imagine them as smart creatures. But recently we can see some drawing parallels between AI and pigeons.
So, find out here the reasons why I and the bird experts believe that pigeons are smart.
Are Pigeons Really Intelligent?
I wouldn’t call pigeons very smart but they are intelligent to a certain extent. They can learn, imitate, and remember stuff just like any smart being.
Let’s learn about their abilities which force me to term them as smart.
Able to Select from Multiple Options
The psychology and brain sciences department of the University of Iowa has done some tests to see if pigeons are able to choose.
So, the pigeons were shown a stimulus and they all had a different pattern. And the job of pigeons was to arrange them in the right manner by pecking one of the two buttons.
As an incentive, they gave the pigeons a tasty pellet for every correct answer.
The pigeons managed to score 70% on the test which proves that they are able to choose.
Can Pigeons Understand Space and Time
New research at the University of Iowa proves beyond doubt that pigeons are able to understand the concept of time and space. But they use a different part of the brain than humans for it.
During experiments, pigeons were shown some horizontal lines on computers and had to judge their length and duration. They associated longer lines with longer duration meaning they use a common area of the brain to judge space and time.
They’re Good at Remembering
Case 1: Avoiding Danger
Pigeons have a great ability to remember human faces. And even if humans come with different clothes they can remember the faces.
In an experiment in Paris, 2 researchers fed pigeons. But one ignored the pigeons letting them eat peacefully, while the other one chased them and acted hostile.
They repeated the experiment several times and found that the pigeons always avoided the one who chased them away even when he was acting normal.
Dr. Dalila Bovet from the University of Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense said –”It is very likely that the pigeons recognized the researchers by their faces, since the individuals were both female and of a similar age, build, and skin color.”
Case 2: Memory and Navigation Research
Research conducted at Tufts University focused on investigating pigeon memory and navigation capabilities using a special pigeon named Linus.
Linus, known as the “pigeon of particulars,” displayed an exceptional memory, recognizing and recalling over a thousand images in a testing chamber. He consistently associated specific images with corresponding actions, showcasing his remarkable memory and cognitive abilities.
This research revealed the pigeons’ remarkable memory capabilities, allowing them to sort and access vast amounts of visual data.
Their ability to remember and associate images with actions underscores their cognitive prowess and challenges traditional notions of avian intelligence.
Pigeons Can Split Their Attention
Pigeons are able to split their attention and do multiple tasks at the same time.
Dr Sara Letzner and Prof Dr Dr h. c. Onur Güntürkün from Ruhr-Universität Bochum published their study where it was seen that pigeons can switch between tasks easily and as quickly as humans.
By the end of the experiments, it was clear that pigeons were fully capable of complex tasks such as multitasking.
We have covered an in-depth article on “Pigeon Fun Facts“; if interested, you can check this article here.
Example of Pigeon Bravery
During World War I, pigeons were employed as messengers due to their exceptional homing ability and reliability.
Despite severe injuries sustained from enemy fire, a pigeon named Sharami managed to deliver a crucial message to headquarters, saving soldiers trapped behind enemy lines.
This highlights the remarkable homing instinct and determination of pigeons in critical situations.
Sharami’s successful delivery, despite significant physical challenges, demonstrated the pigeons’ extraordinary commitment to their task, showcasing their intelligence and resilience in wartime scenarios.
AI Vs Pigeons
Some people compare pigeons learning ways to humans but in reality, their learning behaviors are very similar to artificial intelligence.
Ed Wasserman, a Professor from the Iowa University psychology and brain sciences department, tells us that “Artificial intelligence is using the system or an equivalent system to what the pigeon is using.”
So, what system does the pigeon use?
It’s called associative learning where you learn through recognition. And it’s a repetitive, trial-and-error method of learning unlike declarative learning, which we humans use.
For example, to understand that the fire is hot enough to burn us, we don’t need to touch the fire. But a pigeon would need to touch the fire to understand that it’s too hot for it.
Prof Wasserman says that pigeons also are using an algorithm like AI to learn. He calls it a “biological algorithm” given by God.
That said, the similarity ends here as the capacities of AI and pigeons are vastly different. An artificial intelligence program can process billions of data in seconds, while pigeons are able to process only a little data at one time.
So, even though the learning process of AI and pigeons are similar, AI is more smarter and powerful in capacity than pigeons.
Why Do Pigeons Have a Bad Reputation?
I think the reputation comes mainly due to their droppings as they drop basically anywhere and sometimes on people as well. So, they’re often seen as dirty birds and not something sophisticated.
Also, you’ll often see them fight other pigeons over bread crumbs, and flying away when humans come near. That doesn’t give a sense of smartness.
Do Pigeons Learn or Remember Facts?
Yes, pigeons are able to learn and remember facts for several years. I’ve already told you that they can remember human faces.
But they’re also able to remember big numbers and images for many years. That really establishes that these are smart creatures.
Conclusion
The level of intelligence in pigeons is higher than we normally think. More research is being conducted on their brain which will reveal further interesting details about their capabilities in the future.
Hopefully, these data will help us understand pigeons better and enjoy their company more.
References:
- https://news.sky.com/story/is-advanced-ai-actually-smart-no-its-using-the-same-system-as-a-pigeon-study-finds-12805120#:~:text=Researchers%20have%20found%20that%20the,at%20a%20far%20smaller%20scale.&text=The%20world’s%20best%20artificial%20intelligence,a%20pigeon%2C%20new%20research%20suggests.
- https://phys.org/news/2011-07-pigeons.html
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170926090528.htm#:~:text=Summary%3A,more%20quickly%20in%20certain%20situations.&text=%22That%20means%20the%20structure%20of,as%20multitasking%2C%22%20continues%20Letzner.
- https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0147497
- https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/pigeons-are-much-smarter-than-we-thought-they-can-understand-space-and-time_uk_5a266cb1e4b0f9f0203eeaf1
Image Credit:
- https://www.flickr.com/photos/32389133@N04/
- https://www.flickr.com/photos/jdathebowler/
