You will need:
- Your eyes (to observe)
- Garden or backyard where you can observe pigeons
Figure out why pigeons bob their heads when they move on the ground.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Sit patiently for some time and observe how pigeons move.
- Note down any specific characteristics or traits.
- Does their heads bob when they move? Do their heads move all the time or only sometimes?
RESULT
We always assume pigeons to be dumb. But the truth is that these birds have found a clever way of reducing the time our brain takes to process visual images as they move simply by keeping their heads back when they move. By doing so, it keeps its eyes still in comparison to the world moving past it as it moves. When we move from one place to another, things around us also seem to move due to something called ‘parallax’. The complicated task of interpreting the moving world reduces the time the brain spends on searching for food needed for survival. While humans undertake the complicated task of interpreting the moving images which appear to move across images that are further away, pigeons keep their heads back and eyes still, as they step forward and then quickly move their heads forward as they take another step, all the while keeping their eyes still.
