Pigeon ‒ Anatomy

Pigeon’s skeleton is highly adapted to its flight. It is modified to have additional rigidity and at the same time to reduce and redistribute mass. Its bones are pneumatic (with holes filled with air spaces) and the skull is fused to protect the brain but very light weight.

The major body weight of a pigeon is concentrated on the flight muscles and the mass of the muscles is concentrated ventrally to keep an aerodynamic stability during flight.

Birds have a double circulatory system with a four-chambered heart. The circulatory system of pigeons needs to be very efficient to sustain the metabolic demand of flight. The same efficiency applies for the respiratory system. To help the delivery of air, birds have large air sacs. Oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange is made by lungs.

In the digestive system of the pigeon it is possible to find a crop, where food is stored and pre-digestion takes place, the gizzard, a specialized stomach where large grains are ground up. Depending on the type of food eaten by the pigeon the digestion can be shorter or longer.

The complex nerve system of pigeons consists of a central nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord and a peripheral nervous system, including nerves, ganglia and sense organs. Its functions are: receive the information from the environment, analyze it and respond; store information; coordinate impulses to muscles.