How & What do the birds see

[THE FIFER]

going back a bit it was the thing for lofts to be painted green with white stripes, so birds would spot them

[billt]

Was reading in a birdie mag. dec.09, Research published in the journal, Nature, has found that birds use their eyes to detect the Earths magnetic field for orientation

[greenlands]

A while ago there was a program on TV where they were training pigeons to pick at orange coloured items to be fed.They then took this a stage further and put the pigeon in a pod under plane and used the pigeon to look for life rafts,when the pigeon saw the orange object it stated to pick at what I don't know, somehow there was some sort of set up that would advise the crew that the pigeon had seen something.

I always use orange tubs to get my birds in,doesn't make any difference but I had a few of them at the right size.

Lindsay

[billt]

A while ago there was a program on TV where they were training pigeons to pick at orange coloured items to be fed.They then took this a stage further and put the pigeon in a pod under plane and used the pigeon to look for life rafts,when the pigeon saw the orange object it stated to pick at what I don't know, somehow there was some sort of set up that would advise the crew that the pigeon had seen something.

I always use orange tubs to get my birds in,doesn't make any difference but I had a few of them at the right size.

Lindsay

 

It released a seed when they pecked

[greenlands]

Hi billt, Could be right there mate.

Lindsay

[billt]

Hi billt, Could be right there mate.

Lindsay

 

military aircraft have orange life rafts, they trained the birds to orange, when they pecked in the right direction it released a seed, that was when training the birds, the search crew had a referance of a few square miles for pick up but the birds were far superior in spotting

[Guest wattle]

pigeons also see ultra voilet light from the sun

[Guest Freebird]

pigeons also see ultra voilet light from the sun

Yes, I remember reading this and it was scientifically proven they see ultrta violet and other types of light we can not. Our eyes and predators eyes are set forward and sterio if you like so we can judge distances very acurately and this may account for fast flying pigeons hitting wires etc. Thier eyesight is extremely good and take in almost 360 degree vision. Remember going up to the loft with my light tan riggers on and they were all spooky and giving the boots the eye, He He He! So I took it the coating on the boots was giving off a colour/light that alarmed them but we can not see it.

 

 

[fred smyth]

well been trying to pair an old cock since 26thof november , had 3  blue hens in with him  he would not even try to pair to them  2 days ago i put a bl ch hen in with him and he went mad pairing to her , did he not like the blues, :)

[Tony C]

http://www.backyardnature.net/birdeyes.htm

http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/information/sight.htm

http://www.webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/17.html

http://www.webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/17B.html

[jimmy white]

After reading a post on eyesign, I asked myself How and what do the birds see. Has anyone else considered this.........?

 

in my opinion , as their eyes are at the side of their head, they must see more all around than we do,,

one thing that always amazed me was ,, put a three week old y/bird on the board or loft,, even at that age it knows a hawk is a hawk,, itll cock its eye to the side ,,then vamoose into the loft

 

[KEVIN ELLIOTT]

WELL SAID JIMMY WE HAVE HADE THEM AT THAT AGE DIVE BACK IN THROW THE DOOR.S

AS WE FLY OUR TO OPEN DOOR.S AND IT TAKES THEM AGES TO GET THEM TO COME BACK

OUT SIDE ONE TIME WE HADE TO PUT OUT A COUPLE OF OLD HENS TO WALK ABOUT

 

                                                 KEV

[Guest Jargre-]

 

maybe the cocks think look at the eyes on her ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

 

 

[Guest frank dooman]

 

It released a seed when they pecked

 

i saw one where they put it in a box with 3 different pictures on the side of the box the bird had to go to the side with the same picture to get its reward making out that they could recognise the difference between them very interisting

[Guest IB]

 

It released a seed when they pecked

 

If it was same prog, two feeders, 1000 images, certain images opened one feeder, others opened the other one. Image flashed on screen, bird pecked at right trigger for right feeder, feeder opened, bird got fed.

 

So what they see through those eyes out there, they also remember. Thousands of visual images. But they can still get lost???  

[Diamond dave]

I think when they hit wires they are flying as a flock and it's the ones at the back of the flock that cop it.

[Diamond dave]

Many of us have been at the height pigeons fly at i.e. just taking off in a plane or the top of some tower and when you look at the horizon it only seems a few mile away(say 10 mile) - does the bird see further than us ? If it can only see as far as us that means that every mile it travels it can only see 10 miles of land in which case that would dismiss the theory that they use landmarks to get them home.........

[Guest IB]

Dave, the normal vision for a human is said to be a candle light in the dark 11 miles away. I canny see a paper 11 inches away without my specs.  

[DOVEScot]

Dave, the normal vision for a human is said to be a candle light in the dark 11 miles away. I canny see a paper 11 inches away without my specs.  

 

You can also see stars billions of miles away, you are really bad when you cannae even see the paper ;D

[Guest IB]

I'd a visit to vet last night with two pigeons with eye problems. Got him talking and got a Lecture on Eye Anatomy for free. You'll probably already know, but eyes take up most of the room in a pigeons head, the sockets are enormous, but you don't see it because socket is mostly covered by skin & feathers. The ratio of fit between eyeball and the socket is the same as your pupil to your visible eye socket .. have a look at that in the mirror. (try not to crack it) He said both eyes nearly touch inside the pigeons head, they're that close, with optic nerve running between them.

 

You'll already know the birds have 3 eyelids. The nicky membrane is the 3rd one and part of the tear gland, when it closes over (that's the blink you see) it washes gunk from the bird's eyeball. It closes over in flight too, protecting the eye.

 

 

[Diamond dave]

I think the birds can definately see colour - ask yourself why you have different coloured widowhood box fronts but whether they see colour the same as us, I dont know.

Someone once said to me they wouldn't have reds in thier lofts because hawks see these as like a negative which stand out. Personally, I thought whites or gay pieds would have stood out more but thats because we see them as white. Take a peregrine for instance what does it see before it makes an attack - could you liken this to a fisherman spinning for pike with a flashy lure? is it the white flash (or red) that the peregrine homes in on..........?

[DOVEScot]

I think the birds can definately see colour - ask yourself why you have different coloured widowhood box fronts but whether they see colour the same as us, I dont know.

Someone once said to me they wouldn't have reds in thier lofts because hawks see these as like a negative which stand out. Personally, I thought whites or gay pieds would have stood out more but thats because we see them as white. Take a peregrine for instance what does it see before it makes an attack - could you liken this to a fisherman spinning for pike with a flashy lure? is it the white flash (or red) that the peregrine homes in on..........?

 

Do peregrine single out birds in a flock or do they strike just one from a flock of birds when they dive at great speeds?

[dwh]

Yes, interesting topic.

Been also told their eyesight is many time better than ours.

So that in it's self draws out one or two interesting points. One, a cock bird will see his hen way of and dart of for her. Most will agree o that.

Further when 'Racing' they will still fly more than quite quickly, even if hedge hopping etc. against a wind. Yet only at the very last moment swerve, or raise up at the death to skip over hedges or swerve around tree tops. Yet further are past masters at hitting wires. even when just flying out?  :-/

This lends to me, the believe that once they set of to home the 'Lock On' to their course are  - as most will have noticed - seem completely unaware of obstacles.

Further they always fly with an 'Reserve' turn of speed. Presumably this is regards as a defence mechanism to abort from danger.

 

we have a full aray of wires and pylons 50 metres behind our lofts these wires are line of flight we watch them go thru in batchs wen training the bacth leaders are up and under them but them at the back don't seem to see them every year you see some hitting them and flying on but a lot sever wings or just hit the head on they just don't see them and have time to evade them :-/ :B :'(