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How Pigeons Really Get Home Homing pigeons (22)________ for their uncanny internal compass, yet a new study reveals that sometimes the birds get home the same way we do: They follow the roads. Tim Guilford and Dora Biro at (23)________ Oxford University followed pigeons in Oxford over a three-year period, using tiny tracking devices equipped with global positioning system technology (24)________ by Swiss and Italian colleagues.
What they discovered was surprising. Within ten kilometers of home, the pigeons relied less on their well-known talents for decoding the sun’s position or deciphering the Earth’s magnetic field (25)________ them navigate. Instead they opted for a habitual route that followed linear features in the landscape, such as roads, rivers, railways, and hedge lines – even when it wasn't the most direct way home. “It was almost comical,” says Guilford. “One pigeon followed a road to a roundabout, then exited onto a major road that led to a second roundabout. Others flew down the River Thames, only to make a (26)________ turn at a bridge.” Guilford suggests that sticking to a (27)________, linear route may actually make homing more reliable – and easier. “It made me smile to see it,” says Guilford. “You can imagine yourself flying along a road doing the same thing.”