how racing pigeons train themselves?

Question

My neighbour across the street has a flock of racing pigeons. Every other day I see the whole flock – about 30 birds – flying around his house for an hour or so in a circle (roughly 100 m diameter). Sometimes they seem to do an eight, but I’m not sure. What is the purpose of these training sessions, just to gain fitness or to learn orientation, too? Are the eights similar to when we calibrate our smartphones?

In: 3

Answer 1

They are sensitive to the Earth’s magnetic field. Artificial sources or freak weather can play havoc with their homing ability.