Researchers have tracked the eye movements of pigeons in flight for the first time. The birds fix their gaze after takeoff rather than scanning their surroundings.
Scientists fitted common pigeons with lightweight head rigs and backpacks containing cameras to monitor their vision during short flights. The experiments took place both indoors over 20 metres and outdoors over 25 metres.
After takeoff the pigeons increased pupil size and held their eyes in a fixed forward position, with movements under one degree. This stabilisation aligns with the birds’ vestibular system that controls balance.
Ivo Ros of the California Institute of Technology led the work. He suggested the behaviour may help pigeons separate their own motion from external movement and reduce processing demands on the brain.
Graham Martin of the University of Birmingham noted that the fixed position creates a larger blind spot behind the birds, which could increase vulnerability to predators. The findings appear in Current Biology.
