| Author: RWS | Title: White Feather Defence |
| Date: 2005-04-22 12:08:57 | Uploaded by: webmaster |
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A report out yesterday (21 Apr) claims that pigeons with a ‘white patch on their rump’ are 50 times less likely to be caught by the Peregrine Falcon. Researchers from Harvard University over the course of 7 years recorded nearly 1,800 attacks on flocks of feral pigeons flying around Davis, California.
The Peregrine attacks by descending on their prey from great height (speeds of 320mph have been recorded), and the theory was that evolutionary adaptations have helped the ‘white-rumped’ pigeon to live longer and more successfully.
756 pigeons were captured and their rump colouration changed. These birds were then released again, and the kill-rate monitored.
Dr Alberto Palleroni concluded, "We recorded an unprecedented number of high-speed attacks and found those with markings that resemble the wild rock dove (in feral pigeons) survived exponentially more than those with any of the other sundry colours." he went on to say, "This was only true for high-speed attacks and we believe the falcon is fooled by the 'conspicuous' patch and misses the dodge initiated by the 'cryptic' wings."
Nature - http://www.nature.com/news/index.html
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