News — Duiven

The close bond between man and pigeon US President Ronald Reagan once said:"One of the most beautiful moments a person can experience is coming home and knowing that someone is waiting behind the door who is very happy to see you". During a film shoot at Willem's, I spoke to his caretaker, Wybren Vreeling. His testimony about the level of discipline, or rather the unseen ferocity and determination with which the pigeons came home, has stayed with me ever since. Above all and for all, they wanted to be 'home'. Apart from physical ability, there must also be a desire.  "Homing pigeon" literally...

The article is about pigeon racing and its future after a season in which many pigeons were lost. Noel Descheemaecker and his brother Robert were passionate pigeon fanciers and taught others how to play with pigeons through publications. The author wonders whether the orientation ability of pigeons can be inherited from distant release points to a fixed coordinate in one's own region. Pigeon racing is a wind game and pigeons that have to compete against the wind develop different muscles than pigeons that are more likely to have tail winds. Pigeons have an olfactory map that allows them to recognise...