RRI.CO.ID.Jakarta - The pigeon is a bird that we often see in cities and parks. It has soft feathers and a calm face.

People have known pigeons for a very long time because they are friendly and easy to find. Even though they look simple, pigeons have an amazing secret inside them.

For thousands of years, pigeons have been kept not only as pets but also as a means of communication between countries and regions. Carrier pigeons and scout pigeons were widely used by people to communicate thousands of kilometres away through written messages tied to their feet, pinned to their bodies, or worn around their necks. Many people still wonder how pigeons are able to traverse thousands of kilometres of seas, mountains, and plains without getting lost, returning to their origins.

Scientists have studied this for many years. They wanted to know how a small bird can travel so far and not get lost.

For a long time, people thought birds used their eyes or ears to navigate. Some thought they could feel the sun or see the stars. But the sky is not always clear. What happens when it is cloudy? That was a big question for scientists.

Now, researchers in Germany think they found part of the answer. They studied homing pigeons and discovered something surprising. The pigeon’s internal compass is not in its eyes, beak, or ears. It seems to be in its liver, inside special immune cells that have iron.

These cells can sense Earth’s magnetic field. Earth is like a giant magnet, and its invisible field covers the whole planet. The pigeon’s body can feel this field and use it like a map. This helps the bird know which direction to fly, even when it cannot see the sun.

In an experiment, scientists trained pigeons to fly a long route home. The birds flew very well on sunny days. But when the sky was cloudy and the magnetic-sensing cells were not working, the pigeons had trouble finding their way. When the sun came back, they flew home easily again. This shows that pigeons use both the sun and magnetism to navigate.

This discovery is exciting because it may help us understand other animals too. Sea turtles, whales, bats, and many birds can also travel long distances. Maybe they use a similar magnetic sense. Nature often finds more than one way to solve the same problem.

So the next time you see a pigeon on the street, remember it is not just an ordinary bird. It carries a tiny compass inside its body. With the help of Earth’s magnetic field, the sun, and its smart brain, the pigeon always knows how to find its way home.

Source : Nat Geo