> The records and reports required for each pigeon unit are Breeding Card, Pigeon Breeding Record, Pigeon Flight Record, Pigeon Pedigree, and Monthly Pigeon Loft Report.
Breeding animals takes many generations to get desired traits, so all this information would help to identify a problematic lineage. Since these pigeons were used to deliver critical messages if you had a lineage who began to lose their homing abilities it could be very costly.
Imagine a small group of scout soldiers whom find an unknown opposition encampment. They need additional forces to get there quickly or they may lose the chance to weaken those forces. If the pigeon is less likely to return home, they likely wouldn’t want to leverage them for these critical missions.
Having a clear and traceable record makes it so they can selectively breed the best pigeons and/or assign the best pigeons to the right tasks. Without clear and consistent records like these it would be akin to pissing into the wind and hoping you don’t get wet.
Further than genetics, the training section of the article touches on directional and non-directional training, and training at distances.
It seems that you would likely be working with a message sender, and a pigeoneer preparing resources for the teams in the field. The pigeoneer could possibly have cohorts of pigeons at different stages of training and performance, and it would be bad to foul up the bird selection when sending them into battle. The specialization of this reminds me of one of the things my grandfather ( Korean War era ) used to say, "If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well"
A System is laid out here so that any qualified private could go through the basic training and have the tools he needs to be a successful pigeoneer, supporting his unit and providing the records in standard form to lower the bus-factor impact, and enable his promotion.
THey may have a very large hippocampus, like that of a Hummingbird (my favorite bird) - which have a huge hippocampus and this is how they recall so many food resources.
Both birds can fly thousands of miles (some hummingbirds migrate from washington state to mexico)
But, Yeah this is for selective breeding of the best r/birdsarentreal stock
Pigeons are incredible critters.
* pigeon droppings were important in making gun powder, and at one point in the UK ALL pigeon droppings were property of the Crown for this reason
* pigeons can fly incredibly high and fast
They have exceptional biological compass
Self-Recognition and Social Intelligence:
Pigeons can recognize themselves in mirrors, a rare quality among birds.
They can also differentiate between humans in photos.
Their self-cognitive ability rivals that of 3-year-old children.
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Impressive Flight Speeds:
Pigeons are not the fastest birds, but they can reach speeds of up to 92.7 miles per hour during flight.
Their sustained velocity is around 60 mph.
Pigeon racing showcases their remarkable flying abilities.
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Cleanliness and Spiritual Significance:
Pigeons are clean and do not spread diseases significantly.
In various religions (such as Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu), pigeons are considered spiritual and cared for.
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Social Creatures:
Pigeons prefer living in groups of 20 to 30 birds.
They are social and tolerate human interaction better than many other bird species.
Navigation Abilities:
Pigeons use a combination of cues:
Visual Landmarks: They recognize familiar landmarks along known
routes.
Magnetoreception: They sense Earth’s magnetic field for orientation.
Olfactory Navigation: Their sense of smell helps them find their way home.
Sun Compass: They use the sun’s position as a compass.
Homing Pigeons and Their Inner Ear:
Scientists have explored iron-rich material in pigeons’ inner ears.
However, this material is unlikely to be their primary magnetic sensor.
Pigeons likely rely more on olfactory cues for navigation.
Memory and Recall:
Pigeons can recall locations even when transported far away.
Their impressive navigational instinct allows them to find their way home.
>This was not always the case. That people are turned off, I mean. In the 18th Century, King George I of England decreed all pigeon droppings to be property of the Crown. He even put guards at sites where the birds perched to enforce his edict. He was no birdbrain. There was a practical reason for his order: Pigeon manure was used in making gunpowder.
If you need a large group of people to do something correctly, you need to document how to do it and train them on how to do it. The Army can't just assume that every pigeon handler comes from a background with pigeons, will just "figure it out," or that within recruits / draftees, there will be enough people who are interested in pigeons that it will "just work."
Nor can the Army assume that the pigeon expert, who wrote that book, will be available to handhold every pigeon handler with their pigeons.
This, BTW, is an important lesson for scaling a successful business. Properly documenting processes and training employees is critical.
Finally, this extensive attention to detail is why the US Army is one of the best armies in the world.
Any successful breeding program of any animal for desired characteristics tracks every single input and outcome. They're all important.
Now combine that with work that can get humans killed. I would be very, very interested in making sure everything about these birds was absolutely perfect.
Unfortunately, without the threat of red tape, many humans have cashed subsidies for imaginary domesticates, or worse yet, gained a little margin by keeping other living beings in inhumane conditions. Compare 9(a) with https://www.pigeon.org/pages/loftregistration.html
Wow. Red tape city.