The Influence of Social Parameters on the Homing Behavior of Pigeons

Homing pigeons develop preferred routes when released alone several times from the same site, but they sometimes diverge from their preferred route when subsequently released with another pigeon. Additionally, group flights show a better homing performance than solo flights. But this knowledge is ba...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2016-11, Vol.11 (11), p.e0166572-e0166572
Main Authors: Mehlhorn, Julia, Rehkaemper, Gerd
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Behavior
Biology and Life Sciences
Bird migration
Breeding status
Columbidae - physiology
Decision making
Earth Sciences
Efficiency
Female
Females
Flight, Animal - physiology
Geographic Information Systems
Global positioning systems
GPS
Hatching
Homing
Homing behavior
Homing Behavior - physiology
Hostages
Leadership
Learning - physiology
Males
Mating
Medicine and Health Sciences
Motivation
Motivation - physiology
Neurobiology
Neurosciences
Orientation
Pigeons
Sexes
Sexual Behavior, Animal - physiology
Social Sciences
Studies
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Summary:Homing pigeons develop preferred routes when released alone several times from the same site, but they sometimes diverge from their preferred route when subsequently released with another pigeon. Additionally, group flights show a better homing performance than solo flights. But this knowledge is based on studies involving both sexes and lacks analyses of social parameters such as mating or breeding status, even though it is known that such parameters have an influence on behavior and on motivation for specific behavioral patterns. GPS trackers were used to track 24 homing pigeons (9 breeding pairs and 6 unmated females) as they performed a familiar 10km route in various pair and group combinations. Comparisons of efficiency indices (quotient between straight-line distance and pigeon's track) reveal that unmated females show the best efficiency in single flights. Generally, group flights show the best efficiency followed by pair flights with a social partner of the opposite sex. Pair flights with the mated partner exhibit the poorest performance. Additionally, just before squabs hatching, females show a higher efficiency index when released at 8 am, compared to releases at 2 pm. Our results indicate that homing flight efficiency can provide insight into individual motivation and that social parameters have an influence on homing performance on a familiar route.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0166572