Climate Change Scientists Are Using Backpack-Laden Homing Pigeons to Gather Data

The data confirming climate change is absolutely overwhelming, and virtually all scientists agree that it’s definitely happening. But that doesn’t mean more data isn’t useful, particularly data that is more localized to specific regions. One way to collect that data is to place environmental sensors all around a region that needs to be monitored. Another method, which comes from researchers at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, is to equip homing pigeons with tiny backpacks that collect data as the birds fly through the city.

The purpose of this research is to gather data on urban microclimates, which can be different from one street to the next, and at all different altitudes. A stationary environmental sensor platform can only collect data in the exact location that it’s placed. A pigeon, on the other hand, can fly all around a city at varying altitudes to collect data from a range of microclimates. There are, of course, some people who will be concerned for the pigeons’ well being. But the backpacks aren’t harmful, and the pigeons are under the care of local volunteers who raise homing pigeons.

The backpacks themselves were developed specifically for this project, and cost about $250. They weigh less than 3 percent of a pigeon’s body weight, so they aren’t difficult to carry. They also utilize specially-crafted harnesses that are designed to not cause the birds any discomfort. Each backpack can collect data on the temperature, humidity, light, air pressure, and the exact GPS coordinates where those data points were gathered. The project has already resulted in 41 successful flights that covered a distance of almost 1,000 km, and there are plans to keep going. That will, hopefully, yield valuable data in the fight against climate change.