PIGEONS - DO THEY HAVE MINDS?

by Jim Emerton

In the many life forms on Planet Earth, why should man have the monopoly on mind? The collective idea was that humanity was superior, since animals and birds were deemed to be living out their life cycles based on pure instinct - a series of innate patterns of responses and behaviour laid down by years of genetic/evolutionary adaptation to the external world. Based on study, our senses and intuitive feelings we know that pigeons have an inner being or personality, individual to each bird. The sensitive, perceptive fancier takes note of the subtle interaction between himself and the birds when assessing the condition and behaviour of his birds in relation to form and racing potential. Likewise the birds respond to the fancier - my mother SANG to them. I suspect they have a type of consciousness and possibly some emotionality, perhaps a little like that so clearly manifested by elephants. It would be great to probe inside the head of a bird on how it reacted to us. Ironically due to the limitations of our understanding we will never know in full the complexity of a racing pigeon - the challenge is to attempt it, and the insights may illuminate man.

---

Elimar - February 2014