Pigeons at work

Next time you see a pigeon flying across the sky, look at it carefully! Is it holding a can? Or a camera? Or wearing a backpack? If it's a carrier pigeon, it just might be a working bird. You've probably heard of working dogs that help police officers, or horses that help farmers. Did you know that carrier pigeons can be trained to help people too? What kind of jobs do these birds perform? (A) Mailman Carrier pigeons can be trained to carry messages to people. The note is placed into a small skinny can. The can is tied to the pigeon’s leg. Then the pigeon flies off to deliver the note. Carrier pigeons are good messengers because they’re fast and can fly long distances. They also have a good sense of direction. They can even reach places that people can’t. (B) Life guard From high up in the sky, specially trained pigeons can spot orange life jackets in the ocean. Sometimes it is difficult for humans to spot people lost at sea, especially when the weather is bad. However, pigeons can fly quickly over a large area of water in search of people. (C) Spy Many years ago, carrier pigeons were used to help our country during wars. “Spy pigeons” had small cameras that were tied to their feet. As a pigeon flew over enemy land, the camera snapped photos of the land below. This would allow our military to see where the enemies were and what they were doing. The pigeons have probably saved many soldiers' lives. (D) Scientist’s helper In 2006, a group of scientists used pigeons to study air pollution in California. Special backpacks with miniature cellphones were strapped onto pigeons. As the pigeons flew, machines in the backpacks tested to see what gases were in the air. The cell phones sent information about the air to the scientists.