[This was written by Fran Siebrits and published online by Wild Magazine http://www.wildcard.co.za/, 2011]

How many of us would change our behaviour if we knew certain
animals could remember every mean thing done to them by specific
individuals? For all we know they may be holding a grudge and are going
to act in revenge one of these days.

Well, it’s pigeons you want to watch out for because they are able to recognise and remember individual humans. 

New research suggests that your average pigeon in the street can tell
humans apart using facial characteristics. When it comes to perception,
these feral pigeons show many similarities to those trained in
laboratories.

The fascinating findings come from a series of experiments done in a
park popular with pigeons. Two researchers wearing different coloured
lab coats put out food for the pigeons, but only one of the researchers
chased them away. In a later session both researchers allowed the
pigeons to feed, but the birds steered clear of the researcher who had
shooed them away earlier.

The next time the experiment was conducted, the researchers swapped lab
coats. Even though the researchers were both female and of similar age,
build and skin colour, the pigeons avoided the researcher who was
initially hostile towards them. Even when the lab coats were randomly
swapped between experiments, the pigeons still recognised and avoided
the ‘mean’ researcher. 

It may be that pigeons have evolved the ability to discriminate between
humans because of their long history of living among us. It is
significant that the pigeons did not choose to use the prominent
coloured lab coats for identifying the researchers but used their facial
characteristics instead. Further research is needed, however, to define
the evolutionary reason and importance hereof.

Okay, so pigeons are able to tell individual humans apart. Maybe think
twice before attempting to kick one out of the way next time – it might
eventually track you down one day and land a wet one on your head.

Source:
Society for Experimental Biology (2011, July 2). Pigeons never forget a face. ScienceDaily.

Viewed online [http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/03/110703132527.htm]