Pigeons and many other migratory birds are thought to use the earth’s magnetic fields to stay the course, but scientists aren’t sure how our feathered friends detect and process magnetic information. I have read that there is some reason to believe that if there are any disturbances in the field, pigeons are not able to find their way home as easily. At the same time, homing pigeons from other lofts released at Castor Hill, Jersey Hill, and near Weedsport, would fly home just fine. Light striking the retina seems to stimulate chemical reactions that produce pairs of molecules with electrons that are “entangled,” meaning they share certain quantum properties. Homing pigeons are famous for being able to find their way back to a home from a far distance. Just as racing pigeons are raced, some pigeons do not come back due to combat with predators, but most of them find their way back due to such training from their owners and their intelligence of where their home is. From the ancient Romans to the Allied forces in World War II, humans have long used pigeons to carry messages because of their remarkable ability to find their way home. First off im an non-leg-humper so your out of luck there. The leading theory right now is that they are sensitive to the magnetic field of the Earth. In fact, homing pigeons have been known to find their way home from as many as 1,100 miles away, and they can travel an average of 50 miles per hour with bursts of up to 90 mph! Along the way birds follow coastlines, mountains, and river valleys that funnel them northward. No one really knows for sure though. Most homing pigeons find their way back home unless they are eaten, or shot (durring dove season), or they are just young birds so they don't know squat. 1 Because they have been used for such a long time, scientists have tried to figure out how pigeons are able to navigate their way from an unknown location back to their home. It is a very difficult and nature crushing game that plays the role of your pigeons coming back from such long distances. Don't think too scientific, cause the answer is simple yet effective. AsianScientist (Apr. Another theory is that pigeons would use the sun as a navigation tool, however, when it is over cast, they can find their way home. The Amazing Science Behind Pets That Find Their Way Home ... new location by car and had to find its way back on foot—meaning it hadn’t had a chance to learn the route. To navigate, birds require a ‘map’ (to tell them home is south, for example) and a ‘compass’ (to tell them where south is), with the sun and the Earth’s magnetic field being the preferred compass systems.