Reactions

     For this week I've been focusing on the pigeons reactions and behaviors.  Before I continue, some general information I've noticed in all species is the tends to be laid back and 'goes with the flow' to put it simply, while the female is the complete opposite. Surprisingly they are the most territorial and more easily riled up.  This is no different with Roderich and Elizaveta.  Elizaveta is the one that is always on the edge and alert, she is almost never asleep when I come by, while Roderich is almost always asleep somewhere in the middle or back of the nest and fluffed up contently.
     I've decided to research some of their normal behavior patterns and found some interesting little tidbits.  They are actually rather smart, as they are one of only six species of animal that can recognize itself in the mirror and the only non-mammal and they can recognize all twenty-six letters of the alphabet.  They also have this 'homing' ability where they can always find their way back to their roost and some theories is they use the Earth's magnetic fields, seismic waves, the sun, or the roads to help them navigate. 
     People have used pigeons quite a lot during their history.  They have been used as messengers and have even helped search and rescue.  With their ability to seemingly be able to fly anywhere they were used quite a bit to carry messages to people around the world.  They were used a lot during World war one and two to get messages across enemy lines.  Pigeons can see in color like us humans but can also see ultra-violet light, which helped significantly.
    Obviously, pigeons won't really be able to do any of this (except the homing ability) without proper training, so as you might expect Roderich and Elizaveta show no such great talents.Instead, they, when it is exceptionally cold that night, snuggle up with each other and get all fluffed up. They look absolutely adorable together.  That is the only time I see the female relax even remotely.

Little sketch of Roderich and Elizaveta. Angle isn't quite right, so imagine them a little more side by side.

Works Cited:

PCRC."Pigeon - Everything there is to know about the Pigeon." Pigeon control resource center n.p.     2009. web. 17 November 2014. http://www.easybib.com/reference/guide/mla/website