A Pigeon-eyed View of the World

Pigeons — and other birds with eyes on the sides of their heads — have a different view of the world from that of creatures with forward-facing eyes. The images from a pigeon’s eyes overlap slightly, so the bird can see in front of itself, even though it has worse depth perception. But these laterally placed eyes have a big advantage for prey species: they provide a much wider view of the world. A pigeon has a remarkable 340º view without moving its head, including a wide area behind its head!

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A Pigeon-eyed View of the World

Written by Bob Sundstrom

This is BirdNote.

What does the world look like to a bird? Well, it depends on where the eyes are on its head.

Pigeons, as well as many other birds, have their eyeballs located laterally, on the sides of the head, rather than in front like ours.
[Rock Pigeon calls, https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/3891#_ga=2.25012474.1502895711.156357…, 0.04-.-08]

This doesn’t mean they see two separate images of the world, one through each eye. The field of vision from each eye overlaps slightly with the other, so working together as a pair, they enable the bird to see straight ahead.

Lateral eye placement comes at the expense of depth perception. These birds lack the keen depth perception that people — and many birds of prey, like hawks and owls — have with eyes that face fully forward.

But laterally placed eyes have evolved not for hunting, but for self defense. They give birds, especially prey species, a much wider view of the world, perfect for spotting a predator.

A pigeon has a remarkable, 340-degree view without moving its head, including a wide area behind its head. A tough customer to sneak up on!
[Rock Pigeon calls, https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/3891#_ga=2.25012474.1502895711.156357…, 0.04-.-08]

For BirdNote, I’m Michael Stein.

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Producer: John Kessler
Production Manager: Allison Wilson
Editor: Ashley Ahearn
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Associate Producer: Ellen Blackstone
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Rock Pigeon ML69278 recorded by A Priori 0:05 - 0:35 and 1:10 - 1:45. Rock Pigeon ML3891 recorded by J Kimball 0:35 - 1:10.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2021 BirdNote February 2021/November 2023

Narrator: Michael Stein

ID# sight-08-2021-2-8 sight-08

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.birdwatchingdaily.com/news/science/why…