Why pigeons nod their heads when walking: reasons for twitching and myths
Watching the habits and behavior of pigeons, breeders notice the characteristic features of the gait of birds. Movements can play a symbolic role, communicating the needs of birds, or be physiological in nature. So, the owners and visitors of the dovecote make various assumptions about why pigeons nod their heads when walking. There are many versions of the answer to this question, but not all options have scientific justification and factual evidence.
Why does a pigeon shake its head when walking
The pigeons make unusual forward and backward movements of their necks in time with their steps.The higher the speed of movement on the ground, the more nods the bird makes. It is easy for an observer to notice that, while standing still, the dove stops moving its head. The characteristic movement resumes at the first step.
An interesting feature of pigeons is of interest to the townsfolk and often becomes the subject of scientific discussions. The most widespread are several assumptions, and some versions are classified by ornithologists as myths.
Maintaining the center of gravity
Theory is based on the structure of the body, the disproportion of which causes forced movements. Birds move along the ground in steps, and short legs are not able to provide the body with a stable position in space. Pigeons move their heads to keep their balance.
Similar movements to maintain the center of gravity are made by other birds, in particular eagles. But pigeons are more mobile, fussy, which makes the motor feature more noticeable.
Distrust of the version of maintaining balance is caused by the fact that birds do not nod their heads when they stand still. Experimental results also refute the hypothesis. When the pigeon was placed in a closed cube on a treadmill, the subject soon stopped moving his neck. Experience has led to the emergence of another option, according to which the cause of the nods lies in attempts to stabilize the image.
Features of the structure of the eye
The eyeball of pigeons is designed so that the pupil is constantly in a static position, and in order to increase the viewing angle, the bird has to make peculiar head movements. The hypothesis is backed up experimentally and received the most recognition in scientific circles.
During the experiment with the treadmill, the dove stepped forward and nodded until its speed matched the speed of the track. At this moment, the picture reproduced by the eye no longer lags behind the real one. Based on the data obtained, it was concluded that the pigeons tremble and move their heads for a full view of the surrounding area.
Monocular vision
Some experts are of the opinion that pigeons make neck movements due to monocular vision. Anatomically, the eyes of birds are located on the sides, so they see the image of the object one-sidedly. The visual fields of the left and right eyes practically do not intersect.
And doves shake their heads in order to get a three-dimensional spatial image, to objectively evaluate information about the surrounding area and moving objects.
Attracting females
Many birds during the mating season, to attract individuals of the opposite sex, perform peculiar ritual movements, symbolizing their readiness for mating. According to one theory, the pigeon characteristically twitches and nods its head near the female, and the dove moves in response.
Common myths
Some assumptions remained in the category of unconfirmed, not having received the approval of scientists.
Popular myths boil down to this:
- The legacy of the ancestors. According to this hypothesis, the habit went to pigeons from dinosaurs. Some species of ancient animals made similar movements to maintain the balance of the body.
- Music ear. A number of experiments have shown that pigeons react to the sounds of music, begin to move faster and jerk their heads. This is easily the basis of the opinion that the bird perceives the melody and shakes its head to the beat.
- Restless nature. In this variant, the movement of the neck becomes the result of fright. The more worried the bird is, the more often it twitches, alerting relatives of the danger.
- Meteorological changes. Pigeons nod their heads as the weather changes.
The factors on which the philistine versions are based may indirectly influence the behavior of birds, but ornithologists do not consider them a direct cause of the characteristic head movement in pigeons. The greatest official confirmation was received by the theory of the structure of the organs of vision.
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