Ask 2020-01

text and art by Thor Wickstrom

Look at all this-pigeons
carrying messages! That

gives me an idea!

Is it a good one,
Marvin?

January 2020 Volume 19 Number 1 cricketmedia.com $6.95

It’s genius, of Hey, Elvis-have we So I do all the work and you
course. We just got a job for you!
get all the money. What’s in
need a bird! Air delivery service! You
deliver envelopes, collect the it for me? Well...you get to
Hmm...Who do money, and bring it back to us!
we know? wear this uniform,

and this spiffy hat!

Hmmm...I do like OK, Marvin- Hey-do you guys mind dropping
sharp outfits. But you’re on! these off on your way home?

I’m not sure... Sure! We’ll do it
for crumbs!
How about “all the
mangoes you can eat”?!

I’m back! And here’s your Hooray! Here Hmm... Birds can fly, but some
money, minus my flight fees. are your of us can also count!
mangoes!

The
Secret Life
of Pigeons

Volume 19, Number 1 January 2020

Liz Huyck Editor
Tracy Vonder Brink Contributing Editor
Emily Cambias Assistant Editor

Anna Lender Art Director
Erin Hookana Designer
David Stockdale Permissions Specialist

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Suggested for ages 7 to 10.

Can you spot the spy?

Features page 12 Would you follow this bird?
page 21
6 Ask a Pigeon!
by Lauren Fischer page 12

12 Hello Down There
by I. C. Yu

14 Pigeons Get Fancy
18 Bird Brains
21 Jobs for Pigeons
22 High-Flying Hero

by Christy Mihaly

26 Gone but Not Forgotten
by Rachel Young

Can birds save the day?

page 23

by
Elizabeth
Preston

Do you look more like I look just like the
your mother or your picture on the box.

father?

Nar-WHO-ga?

An unusual skull arrived at a Male narwhals usually have just art © 2019 by Josh Lewis
museum in Denmark in 1990. The one tooth, which grows out of the
skull came from a hunter, who said front of the animal’s head like a
it had belonged to a weird-looking sea unicorn horn. Belugas have lots
creature. Recently, scientists decided of teeth. The narluga had an in-
to take a closer look at the old skull between number of teeth, some
with new technology. It turned pointing forward like a narwhal tusk.
out to be a narluga—an unusual Scientists have never seen an animal
cross of two different species. The quite like it.
animal’s father was a beluga whale.
Its mother was a narwhal. The Dare to
researchers figured out its be different!
identity by studying
DNA from the
skull and teeth.

Narwhals and belugas Belugas are small
belong to the same whales that live
family of toothed near the Arctic.
whales, so they are
close cousins.

Male narwhals grow
one extra-long tooth
that looks like a unicorn
horn.

Mom Dad

2 ask

Wandering Moons

The Moon is Earth’s constant partner, circling
around us as we orbit the Sun. Other planets are
also looped by moons, sometimes quite a few. That’s
what moons do—they orbit their parent planets. But
now scientists think that in other solar systems,
moons might sometimes escape. These moons could
even become new planets. Researchers have named

these escaped moons “ploonets.”
Scientists used computers to study how ploonets

might form. First you’d need a very big planet.
Then you’d need the planet to gradually move
closer to its sun. When it got close enough, the
forces of gravity from the planet and the sun
could combine to launch the moon away. No one

has seen an actual ploonet yet. But now that we
know what to look for, we might be able to spot
them with telescopes.

Pleeease can I Pleeeeease can
have a puppy? I eat your shoe?

Puppy-Dog E

Thousands of years ago, wolves that hung around
humans evolved into a new species: dogs. Dogs act
differently from wolves. They look different too.
And dog eyebrows, in particular, may have
evolved to tug our heartstrings.

Researchers studied the muscles inside the
faces of dogs and wolves. Most muscles were
the same. But the dogs had a muscle that wolves
didn’t. The muscle lets dogs lift their inner
eyebrows to make a sad expression: “Pet me please!”

The scientists think the eyebrow muscle
developed as wolves evolved into dogs. When
their canine buddies made cute faces, humans
just had to take care of them.

ask 3

Ugh. Pigeons are
gross. They eat
garbage and poop

everywhere.

Actually, pigeons Pigeons have an
are pretty smart amazing ability to find
their way home from
birds.
far distances.

People have been using Look, I just
pigeons to send messages got one.

for ages.

Youus’reelsetomhmeoNenebamesdotseroter,c,oPicmuhelyidl..

4 ask

See you later, Help! I
guys. I still think twisted my
pigeons are kind
ankle!
of...Ahhhh!

I’ll bet Lonna has changed Yeah, now
her mind about pigeons. she likes them

a little too

much!

ask 5

How do you know so Well, I am a pigeon,
much about pigeons? of course. So what do
you want to know?

by Lauren Fischer, art by Marnie Galloway Why do you have
red feet?
Why is
your tail
striped?

What’s the difference

Q between a pigeon and
a dove?
A Mostly…the name. There are about
250 species of pigeons and doves in
the world. Some are called pigeons,

and some are called doves (and some

are called paloma), but all belong to Who doesn’t
the bird family Columba. love a dove?

I sometimes think people call us

doves when they like us, and

pigeons when they don’t! Q Are pigeons nice?

Collared doves Dove of peace We are so sweet and
are found all trusting! Pigeons’ easy-going
over Europe, AIn fields Elysian, personality is one big reason
Asia, and India. Are you just we get on so well with
a common
pigeon?

humans.

6 ask

text © 2020 by Lauren Fischer, art © 2019 by Marnie Galloway Q Why does every city in the
world have pigeons?
A Humans have themselves to thank!
City pigeons all over the world are descended
from rock doves, Columba livia. We are native to

the Middle East and central Europe. Long ago, wild City pigeons come in
rock pigeons lived in big colonies on rocky cliffs. During many colors.
the day we hunted for seeds and berries.

Around 5,000 years ago, humans started building cities and

farming grain. Pigeons liked towns—there was lots of dropped

grain to eat, and not many hawks.

City people built houses for pigeons to live in too. They

kept pigeons to carry messages, or just

as pets. Farmers collected poop

from the pigeon houses to use

as fertilizer. And I am sorry

to say, people also liked to eat

pigeons.

The pigeons were free to fly

out to hunt for grain during the This cliff in Israel was
day. At night, pigeons flew home to the carved into a dovecote

coop. That was handy for the pigeon keeper— thousands of years ago.

This tower in Iran is lined once they built a pigeon house, raising If you build it,
with holes for pigeons. The pigeons took very little work. we will come!
roof is open at Humans took their pigeons with them
the top.

all over the world. So now we’re

everywhere. Modern city pigeons are

feral—animals that once were kept by

humans, but now run wild. Tall city

buildings are a lot like our old cliffs. We

feel right at home!

Pigeon houses were often Why do pigeons bob their heads when
built in fancy shapes. they walk?

Q Pigeons bob their heads to see better. Other birds do this too—
A especially birds that hunt on the ground, like quails and chickens.
When I see birdseed on the ground, I focus my eyes on the seed,
and then move my body forward to take a step while my head

stays still. That way I can always keep my eye on the
prize. Focus on the food, take a step, focus on the food,
take a step...until finally, snack time!

ask 7

Q How do homing pigeons This way! I can
A smell your socks

find their way home? from here!

Nobody knows completely for

sure—but we’re very good at it!

Pigeons have a great memory

for routes, and we can follow a

landscape like a map. We can tell

which way is north by the sun. the Family
Plus, tiny bits of metal in our City pigeons are
beaks act like a compass. We can
also sense places where the magnetic found all over the
field changes a bit, and use those as
landmarks. world. There are

etThen there’s sound. We can also about 250
ehear very low notes made by
Mthe earth moving. This sound species of wild

is different in every place. Mourning dove pigeons.
And smell! Our sensitive noses

can smell water, farms, and (North America)

scents of home from many

miles away. And we also like Band-tailed pigeon Pigeons aren’t
to follow other pigeons. With (North America) the only ones
all these clues, the way home who get around!

is usually pretty clear. Though

even we sometimes get lost!

How do they always Wouldn’t
manage to hit my you like to
best hat?
know!

Q What’s a pigeon’s Eared dove
weirdest skill? (South

A How to choose? We can see America)
ultraviolet light! We can
learn art styles! And
pigeons can drink
through our
beaks like a
straw! No
other bird
can do
that.

8 ask

Q How fast can Sometimes I take
a pigeon fly? the train!

A Top racing birds
can go as fast as a car on the highway, around
60 miles (97 km) an hour. And we can keep
up that speed for a long time! Some pigeon
races are 500 miles (800 km). But mostly
our short, strong wings are good for
maneuvering around cliffs and buildings.
We can get into the air from standing, by
clacking our wings together fast.

Wood pigeon Turtle dove Eurasian collared dove
(Europe) (Europe) (Europe, Asia)

Imperial pigeon
(Asia)

Laughing dove Nicobar pigeon
(Africa) (Nicobar Island)

African green Emerald dove Gre m al
pigeon (Singapore) pigeon
(Africa)
(Indonesia)
Victoria crowned pigeon
G inea)

Q Is there any Crested pigeon
place without (Australia)

A pigeons? Crests are the
There is only one Australian look!
place in the world
without pigeons: New Zealand
Antarctica. Brrrrr! pigeon

ask 9

geon Anatomy There
Pigeons have very is one
Sturdy wings are good eyesight, too many
shaped for long- and can see Pigeons have pigeon!
distance flying extra colors. a small fleshy
and quick turns.Pi bit on the top
of their bills,
called the cere.

Magnetite in Q Can you have
their beaks can too many pigeons?
sense magnetic
fields. A No way! Unless, of course,
you think there is such
A large breast bone a thing as too much
anchors strong flying pigeon poop.
muscles.

Q Why don’t I ever see You know, I We’re sneaky
A baby pigeons? never see any that way.
baby robots,
Pigeons build their nests high up
either.
on buildings, where they’re hard

to spot. Baby pigeons stay snug

in their nest until they are adult

sized. But you might have

seen a teenage pigeon.

They sometimes follow

their parents around, Q Is it true that pigeons
cooing and begging make milk?
for food.
A Pigeons make something called “crop
milk” to fîd their babies. It’s not
really milk—it’s a rich white liquid

So cute! I will made by cells in the pigeon’s crop,
name them
This pigeon a special pouch in the neck.
Puff and Mo! parent is giving Pigeon parents—both moms and
its chick a drink dads—fîd this crop milk to
of crop milk. their squabs, or baby pigeons.

They spit it right into the

squab’s beak.

10 a s k

Q Is it OK to feed
A the pigeons?

Well….you feed us plenty Q What are you most
with your leftovers already. scared of?
Some cities have laws
against feeding pigeons, A Hawks, falcons, and owls!
mostly because cleaning up Unfortunately, we pigeons are
pigeon poop costs a lot of quite tasty. And although we
money. But if you really are fast, we can’t fly as fast
want to feed the pigeons, as a hawk.
please feed us seeds or nuts.
Even though we’ll eat almost anything
(including hot dogs!), birdseed is best.

Why do Q Why do pigeons chase
each other?
Q scientists
love pigeons? A When you see a larger pigeon
chasing a smaller one around,
A We are scientists’ puffing out its neck, and
favorite birds! cooing loudly, I’m afraid…
We’re easy to well, it’s in love. Enough
keep, good- said. But if things go well,
tempered, patient, pigeons mate
and quick to train. for life.
Pigeons also lay eggs
all year, so there’s a Pigeon and
constant supply of new pigeons. pigeon, sitting

in a tree...

Q What does a pigeon want most in life? Will you be mine?
A
Pigeons want what any bird wants—plenty of Schedule:
food, a safe nest, lots of friends around. No 9 am: Fly out
hawks would be nice! Pigeons like routine. I 1 pm: Park lunch
leave my nest every morning, check out my Sunset: Family time
favorite spots for food, hang with the rest of
the flock, and then we all fly home before it a s k 11
gets dark. I like to do the same things every
day. No surprises, and none of that migrating
nonsense! If I find myself far from home, the
first thing I do is head right back.

In 1907, this HELLO
was a very
small camera. DOWN

Can you fly over Who took these soaring photos?
Plush’s house
and see what n the early 1900s, most people had no idea what
she’s doing? their homes looked like from above. Airplanes
were a strange new invention. There were no robot
ones or satellites looking down. About the only way
see the world from above was to go up in a hot-air
lloon—or to be a bird.
In 1907, a German pigeon keeper named Ju
ubronner had a bright idea. He won

Julius Neubronner
with one of his ace
photographers.

Humans are
so nosy.

In the photo
below, you can
see the wing tips
of the pigeon
photographer.

12 a s k

THE

A pigeon!

pigeon might be able to carr a at s

as it flew. He built a small camera in a pigeon-sized

harness. The camera was rigged to automatically snap

pictures as the bird circled around. He fitted it onto one

of his pigeons, and away it flew. And it worked!

Neubronner traveled around with his pigeon camera,

taking pictures of different cities and selling them as post-

cards. These are a few of his pigeons’ masterpieces.

Streetcar tracks in Frankfurt, Germany Hmm...which roof to land on?

I spy with my
drone’s eye in

the sky...

Inspired by Neubronner, many countries Now that job is done a s k 13
developed their own pigeon spy cameras. by robot drones.

City pigeons come in many colors I think that I If you think pigeons are
and patterns. They’re all the same shall never see ordinary, you’ve never
species—they just have different a bird more beautiful seen a fancy pigeon. Like
colored feathers. different breeds of dogs,
than me. fancy pigeons are bred to
have special looks or other
Pigeons traits that people like.
Fancy!
Get I am plenty
fancy. The basic pigeon, or rock dove,
has two black bars on the wings,
Fancy
and iridescent purple/green
art by Robert Meganck neck feathers.

King pigeons Racing pigeons
are raised for are bred for
meat. They speed and skill
are extra big. at finding
their way
14 a s k home.

Frillbacks have It’s nice to Did I
curly feathers. dress up overdo the
sometimes. blow-dry?

The Uzbek Owl-faced
forelocks pigeons
pigeon has a have very
feathery short beaks.
face
and Can you teach
feet. me how to fluff

Whee! my tail?

Jacobin pigeons have a ruff
of feathers around the neck.

Fantail pigeons
have extra tail
feathers that
stick out
in a fan.

Tumbler pigeons Modena pigeons
do somersaults stand like soldiers.
when they fly.
a s k 15
Now try
that on a
skateboard!

Pouter pigeons German nun pigeons
have big, round look like they’re
chests. All wearing a cowl.
pigeons have a
I love your pouch in their South German
socks! throats to monk pigeons
store food, called have a ruff and
a crop. Pouters have feathery feet.

they look like they’ve
wallowed a balloon

Polish helmet
pigeons have
smooth black
heads.

How did pigeons get fancy? Humans helped. art © 2019 by Robert Meganck

I choose only the birds
with the biggest tails to
have chicks. After many
generations of selecting
for bigger tails, you get

a fantail pigeon.

A pigeon breeder Fancy pigeons are the same species as city pigeons.
16 a s k But these birds have been bred by humans to have
curly feathers, or big tails, or short beaks.

Darwin’s Pigeons It was my idea!

How did Earth get so many species? Darwin wanted to get people to see that
For thousands of years, people wondered.
natural selection was not a strange new idea.
In the 1840s, one naturalist had an
idea. His name was Charles Darwin. He It happened all the time, on farms and in A book
spent his whole life studying animals and that
insects. Darwin thought that new species pigeon coops. Farmers and pigeon fanciers changed
evolved gradually, as populations of animals
change over time. Not individual animals, selected animals with traits that they liked, the world!
but groups of them, over hundreds of
thousands of years. such as long wool or curly feathers.

In every group of animals, there’s always Then they mated these animals, to get
a little variety. Some grow bigger, some are
faster, some might have slightly longer teeth. more like them. Over time, this led to
If those differences help an animal survive,
that animal will have more offspring. Those many breeds of cattle and sheep. And
offspring will inherit the helpful traits. Over
many generations, gradually most of the by choosing birds with bigger tails or puffier
population will share helpful traits. If this
keeps happening, over time, a group of animals chests, pigeon fanciers had produced some
can develop into a new species.
wildly fancy pigeons.
Darwin called his idea evolution by natural
selection. He wrote a book to explain his idea. If people could do it, so could nature.
But how to convince readers? With pigeons!

Nature also Nature does the same But nature
changes thing! In places where there are selects for
species. hard seeds to eat, finches with traits that
bigger beaks get more food and have help animals
more chicks. Where there are more survive.
insects, finches with sharp beaks

do better. I call this idea
“natural selection”!

Charles Darwin I wonder what
this does for

me?

a s k 17

art by
hor Wickstrom

How smart are pigeons?
They might surprise you!

art © 2019 by Thor Wickstrom

Raccoons are

Ithe smartest t can be tricky to tell how smart more, and keep track of 3 or 4 objects.
animals. animals are—they can’t answer Pigeons can count much higher. They
questions. But scientists can give them can learn to peck at groups of objects in
counting order (the group with one first,
tests to see what they can do. then the group with two, etc.), no matter
what the objects are. This shows that they
Pigeons have lots of natural skills. They understand the idea of numbers.

No! Rats are can read landscapes like a map. They can Pigeons can also learn to peck a button
the smartest. find their way home from places they’ve exactly 8, or 17, or 24 times—no more, no
less—to get a treat. It can even remember
never been. They can recognize human its place if it’s interrupted, and keep going
again where it left off.
faces, and keep track of hundreds of

pigeon friends.

Hippos are But can they count? Many
obviously the animals can tell less from

smartest.

18 a s k

Puzzle Masters This pigeon has
learned to peck
Like all birds, pigeons have very the group with
sharp eyes. They can see many fewer first, then
more colors than humans. They the one with
can spot a tasty sesame seed in a more—no matter
bed of gravel. how the groups
are arranged.
Pigeons are also good at finding
patterns and solving shape puzzles. In Pigeons can even
games to match shapes that have been be trained to spot
flipped around, they are faster than sick cells in medical
humans. In fact, pigeons are so good at pictures—a task that
shape puzzles that some scientists are is very difficult for
studying pigeon brains to help teach humans.
robots and computers how to see.
But can they
Is your brain rhyme?
as quick as

a bird’s?

Match Wits with a Pigeon

Find the two identical shapes.
Time yourself!

Pigeons are very good at shape tests. In this
one, the pigeon gets a treat if it pecks the
mirror image of the shape in the middle.

a s k 19

The French painter
Claude Monet had a
very dreamy style.

Picking Pictures

Suppose every time you

came to a new door, you

had to figure out how it

worked all over again. That

wouldn’t be very efficient.

It’s better to recognize any

door as a door, no matter Picasso
what it looks like. gets me.
Our minds are full of

categories, such as “doors,” The Spanish painter Pablo
Picasso liked strong lines and
“dogs,” and “books.” colors. He also liked pigeons.

Pigeons have this skill too. They What do
you think?
can learn to peck at photos that
are not like human brains. What does smart
have trees in them, and to ignore mean to a pigeon? Pigeons can do some
things better than humans, like remember
photos that don’t include complicated patterns and find their way
home. But they can’t do other things, like read
any trees. Even when they magazines.

are shown new pictures So if you’ve ever called anyone a bird-brain,
well…thanks for the compliment!
they haven’t seen before,

pigeons easily pick out all

the pictures with trees. So they must have

a general idea of a “tree.”

Some pigeons have even learned to

identify different styles of art—they can

tell a Picasso painting from a Monet.

So are pigeons smart? This can be a

hard question to answer. Pigeon brains

20 a s k

Jobs for Pigeons

VOL. CLXVIII Work for birdseed! art by Rupert van Wyk

January 4, 2020

Messenger Navigator art © 2019 by Rupert van Wyk

Reliable bird Captain Bill seeks
adventurous, land-
needed to loving pigeons to
carry small help us find land
messages on long sea voyage.
from Your job is just to
travelers smell dry land and
back to their home cities. Must be quick, head home—we’ll
flexible, waterproof, and self-feeding. follow you!

Air Monitor Computer Programmer

Are you brave and Smart birds needed to help us figure out
civic-minded? Do how to get computers to recognize pictures
your part to help the of objects! You can do it easily, why can’t a
earth by flying around cellphone? Help us figure this out! Plenty of
wearing our special seeds and art.
air-testing vest! As
you fly, the vest will
record pollution levels
in the air. Bonus for
flying over factories!

Spy Coast Guard Spotter

Ordinary-looking pigeons wanted for Diligent, sharp-
important spy work. We’ll provide the eyed pigeon
tiny camera—all you do is fly over cities wanted for
and factories, snapping away! No one will important
ever suspect a pigeon. rescue work.
Humans get
bored, but we
know you’ll love to stare out the window
for hours at a time, just waiting to spot
an orange life vest and claim your treat!

a s k 21

H igh-Flying Heroy Christy Mihaly, art by Ala arks
In the midst of World War I, the fate of
200 soldiers rested on one small hero.

War is one Gunfire roared around the
human habit battalion of American soldiers.
I will never They were deep in a forest
understand. in northern France. German forces
surrounded them. They’d lost half of
their 500 men. Food and water were One Last Hope
running low, and they were almost
out of ammunition. Major Charles Whittlesey rubbed his
eyes. It was October 4, 1918, and the
battle had been raging for two days.

22 a s k

He’d sent messages to headquarters. Wings Away Fly fast, brave
But had any gotten through? little bird!

The sudden BOOM of shells The soldiers’ fate depended on Cher
interrupted his thoughts. Hurrah!
The Americans were bombarding the Ami reaching the command post 25
Germans now. This should allow his
unit to escape. miles (40 km) away.“Cher Ami” is

But no. The artillery fire rained French for “dear friend.” This dear
down around Whittlesey and his
men. Whittlesey’s heart pounded. The friend had completed missions
Americans were firing on them! Their
own commanders didn’t know the before. Whittlesey hoped their
battalion was there. He had to tell them.
text © 2020 by Christy Mihaly, art © 2019 by Alan Marks luck would hold.
Whittlesey shouted for his signal
soldier. The man approached with a Overhead, Cher Ami
basket, carrying their last chance to
get a message out. The basket did not circled, then set off
contain a radio or phone. It held their
only hope—a homing pigeon named toward the command
Cher Ami.
post. Like hundreds
Whittlesey scribbled quickly on a
thin slip of paper. The man rolled the of other pigeons, Cher
note and stuffed it into a tiny metal
tube. The tube was attached to the Ami had been carefully
cooing messenger’s leg.
trained by the U.S.
The officer tossed the bird into
the air in a flash of green and purple Army Signal Corps. This
feathers. Cher Ami took off. The
Germans spotted the bird, and the military unit cared for
air filled with bullets. The Americans
gasped as their pigeon took a hit and the birds at their home
plummeted out of sight. They were
lost! But then Cher Ami rose again, coop at headquarters. When Cher Ami with
flapping hard, soaring far above the soldiers headed into battle, they Captain John
guns. Hurrah! carried pigeons with their other Carney, pigeon
vital supplies. Radio telephones trainer

often broke, so the army depended

on birds. Wherever soldiers released

their pigeons, the birds brought their

messages back to headquarters.

a s k 23

MAmshrpeeuemssnessiddaeeyrsgneedahgsnsaesvdrioenfscBbtemreiroeianlndengsscuifneslinoinetngr-stsp.itmiogTpeehsoe.tnyoPsiwggteeoiltol nchtasroramarvryeeel aHbfgfmeoihrafnalowoapoiiaswdnsenalvemoWglogv—alooeuenlutoeyswpxhhneonbtiat.lagateetdhdrhdcihhttiCseciegrehntdtaasllrlv,oeafgtoysetfweersni.uisanreeopsanpdcndtTlcgimyodmlaog,ttueh.tsvsehontaeate,eitouTheginstrynhnnlhineahkidresgksotiotd.emeryeoimfeytsnuPlahreaomdgaehsihycngecf,oe.eoetryeadclthmassoepnmsiohsltmetcnesmea?esafvaostegy,eireenpnfleSalklrptahr,ldprchsrasoaeartiasdeollmaelthots.nyoibrnhsrhob,’ndaTetreeeafbagdiniceshabsrcl.eestwtyrelkayeenisvyowainpsesnunyreardsteyyeol.oyf

message. He found Cher Ami bloody

and exhausted. But the message was

still dangling in its canister. Calling

for help, the man seized the note.

“ Our artillery is dropping a

barrage directly on us. For

heaven’s sake, stop it.”

In a flash, the order went out – stop

Cher Ami—like all homing it! The artillery fire ceased. Cher Ami’s

pigeons—felt a strong drive to fly flight that day saved almost 200 lives.
home. Pigeons have an amazing ability
If homing pigeons to find their way. On that October day,
fly home, why didn’t Cher Ami winged homeward despite
Cher Ami fly back

to America?

serious injuries. The wounded bird

completed the flight with a ruined leg

and a bleeding chest.

For an army pigeon, After an hour of tough flying, Cher
home was the coop at
Ami fluttered into the headquarters

the main base camp. pigeon coop. A bell rang, signaling a

bird’s arrival. A Signal Corps member

hurried to check the incoming Some army pigeons were trained to return to
a mobile coop. As long as it was still parked
where they left it, they would return to it.

24 a s k

Our Hero Our hero!

Meanwhile, a medical team attended BOswbpIftaaoininrhormglyleiredeeittyo.anhhmo.ngwdIeerrsytHor,’ewsFusietsGerCloetdxneuorhticnorhrlyebdetcliirepa?shrtabneAableslwmwiamrmancdhadiyhogieansnuèwnlwser’aate.aegtsaisnheBksa,enauyamyCotamthwhieaoadeea,rmerrflteewaooeir.Arlhcoloimorrflsweueui’mirfarstcetmheahminleieeagr,l.e
to the small messenger. They saved
Cher Ami’s life, though they could a s k 25
not save the bird’s leg. Later, the
company’s grateful soldiers carved a
little bird-sized wooden leg for their
hero, Cher Ami.

The French army awarded Cher
Ami the Croix de Guerre. That’s a
hero’s medal for bravery in war.
The story of the bird’s life-saving
flight spread. Articles and poems
celebrated the pigeon that helped
rescue the “Lost Battalion.”

If you visit the Smithsonian
American History Museum in
Washington, D.C., you might see an
exhibit called “The Price of Freedom:
Americans at War.” There, in a glass
case, you may spot a one-legged
pigeon, standing beside the old field
phones and radios. After Cher Ami
died, a taxidermist preserved the
pigeon’s body. Now it
stands in the
museum, a reminder
of how much we owe
to our great friends,
the pigeons.

Cher Ami was
awarded the French
Croix de Guerre
medal for bravery.

Gone But Not

Here I am! Um...I think
we’re a
painting.

Where are the
passenger pigeons?

Why were they called It’s from the
passenger pigeons? Did French word
they hitch a lot of rides?
passager,
meaning
“passing by.”

You’ve never seen a passenger Yet now, they are extinct. There are
pigeon. But not too long ago, none left. What happened?
millions of them filled the skies.
Suddenly, the bright noonday sky turns Passenger pigeons looked a bit like
black, and the sound of millions of flapping mourning doves, but bigger. They lived in
wings fills the air. The cloud of birds passes the woodlands of eastern North America.
on, and on, and on, and you think it will Passenger pigeons were once the most
never end. That’s what it was like when a common bird in the world. They flew from
flock of passenger pigeons passed overhead. forest to forest in massive flocks that might
contain a billion birds. A single flock, seen

26 a s k

in Canada in 1866, stretched a

mile wide and 300 miles long. Once, huge flocks
It took 14 hours to fly by. Back of passenger pigeons
then, one of every four birds darkened the skies.
in North America was a Hunters had contests
passenger pigeon. to shoot as many as
they could.

There were so many

passenger pigeons, it

seemed as if they would

always fill the skies. But in

1914, the last bird died in a

Cincinnati zoo. The passenger

pigeon is gone forever.

Why did the passenger pigeon go

extinct? How could there be billions

of birds, then 50 years later, none? hunter recalled bringing down 18 birds

Where Did They Go? with a single shot. Sometimes people shot
passenger pigeons just for fun, to see who

The billion-bird flocks of passenger could get the most.

pigeons needed huge areas of wild Like all pigeons, passenger pigeons were

forest to nest in, and to find acorns social birds. They liked to hang out together You can
hide here!
and nuts to eat. When a nesting in trees and fly together in big bunches. They

flock invaded a hickory grove, every were also friendly and not afraid of

branch of every tree sagged under humans. Unfortunately, this made

the weight of pigeon nests. them easy to hunt.

When European settlers arrived The pigeons’ forest homes

with guns, they couldn’t believe were disappearing, too. As more

their luck. Pigeon was a people moved west, they cut down

popular food at that time. trees for wood and to make room

And here were for farms. By the late 1800s, the

whole forests full birds were in trouble. Female pas-

of dinner! Pigeon senger pigeons laid just one egg

hunters blasted per year. So not enough

away underneath babies were born to take

the trees, shooting all the the place of all the birds

pigeons they could. One being killed.

The very last passenger pigeon, a captive bird
named Martha, was stuffed after she died.

a s k 27

The last wild passenger pigeon was The fate of the passenger
So sad. shot in 1900. In 1914, the very last passen- pigeons led to more
protections for nature.
ger pigeon, a captive bird named Martha,
died in the Cincinnati zoo. Her body was I’m raising
stuffed and put on display, so visitors money to save
could see what she had looked like.
wildlife.
Never Again?
Start The wilder
Extinction is a part of the cycle of nature. with me. the better!
When conditions change, species must
adapt to survive. Some evolve into new
species. Some that don’t adapt will die
off. They go extinct. Species can also go

extinct when some sudden
catastrophe happens, like the
asteroid strike that wiped out
the dinosaurs.

Dead as a Dodo The catastrophe that struck the
passenger pigeons wasn’t a killer
Pigeons come in many shapes. But asteroid from outer space. It was
humans with guns, who assumed that
the prize for the oddest pigeon probably they couldn’t possibly kill every last
bird. But they did.
goes to the giant, flightless bird known as the
The fate of the passenger pigeon
dodo. This huge, swan-sized pigeon lived only on made many people stop and think. It
sparked a new interest in conserving
Mauritius, a small island in the Indian Ocean. There nature and protecting animals and
plants. Many years later, Congress
were no predators on the island. So when humans passed a law called the Endangered
Species Act. This law protects rare
showed up around 1600, dodos had no fear of animals from being hunted or
harmed. Currently there are 718
them. Sailors dined on the birds—they were so North American animals on the list.
Some may go extinct naturally. But if
easy to catch! Unfortunately, just 100 years we take a little care, no other species
needs to suffer the unnatural fate of
after humans discovered Mauritius, the passenger pigeon.

they had hunted the dodo to

28 ask extinction.

b

Hey, Sage! So, if tails are Tails swat flies. And keep animals warm,
so useful and cool, Caleb and send signals.
wants to know, Why don’t Tails push fish
humans have them? through water.

Tails help birds
steer in flight.

People don’t Because humans have And prehensile tails
need them. hands to swat flies? can grab trees.

Mainly because humans walk on two legs. Animals that
walk on four legs use their tails mainly for balance—in
particular, to balance their heavy heads.

Why not? I get it! When Big cats that
humans walk, run faster have
their heads are longer tails.
balanced over
their center, center of gravity
not stuck at
Because they one end.
communicate
with words?

Humans’ closest cousins, the great apes, don’t It is—though humans’ very ancient
have tails either. Many of them also move ancestors did have tails. Humans
upright—using their arms to still have the remains of a tail at
the end of their spine. It’s called a
swing through trees, coccyx, or “tailbone.”
or knuckle-walking
on the ground. tailbone

So it’s a family thing.

But even if people Maybe, but it wouldn’t And that gets But I think Writ t .
don’t need tails, be efficient. It takes in the way when I’ll keep mine 70 E
wouldn’t it be neat energy to make body bike riding. anyway.
to have them? parts and keep them it
going. Why use energy
to make a tail that hu
doesn’t do anything il
for you?

a s k 29

In our July issue we Send your letters to Ask Mail,
asked you to design 70 East Lake St., Suite 800, Chicago, IL
your very own super- 60601, or have your parent/guardian
cool soccer ball. Thanks email us at [email protected].
to all your crafty
kickers for sharing your Eva F., age 10,
creations! Washington

Earth Day The Geometric Crystal
Ball Pattern Soccer Ball
Grace B., Addison B., age 9,
age 9, Maryland
Michigan

Kailash M., Soccer Bot Soccer Ball
age 8, Callie P., age 11, Colorado
Ontario

Dear Sage and Briar, Dear Melissa, Oops! Here’s a correct picture of
In the October Ask Ask You are absolutely right! By the ancient shark helicoprion.
you show a drawing of a mistake, we gave the artist an
helicoprion. We were curious outdated picture of helicoprion.
to find out more, but the Now scientists think the teeth
pictures we found shows the curled inside the jaw, more
tooth whirl differently. Were like this. Thanks for the
you maybe looking at an old correction, and for double
picture? checking the facts!
Stay curious!
Melissa K. and sharp-eyed
family, by email Editor Plush

30 a s k

Leah R., A Ball for
age 8, Everyone
New York Lillian C.,
age 8,
Lucia C., by email
age 9,
Arizona Lyra D., age 9, Massachusetts

1. Arms and Legs once set on field, it will
walk to center! If kicked to goal will walk
back to center.
2. Arms and Legs when game begins it
will tuck in its arms and legs!
3. Mouth gives cheers and encouragement
to players when they kick.
4. Mouth and Arms will clap and cheer
at the end of the game.

Ninja Ball The Ball of Lines
Noah B., age 8,
Pennsylvania Two Different Kinds The Circles
of Round Balls within a
Nicholas E., age 6, New Jersey Olivia B., age 10, Circle
Washington

Dear Marvin, Dear Avery, Dear Emily,
I have a good idea how to get I think squirrels are creative It is so refreshing to meet
out of school! Get some baby and smart. We went on a young person who really
food and spit it out. Plush will vacation in Kentucky and saw understands squirrels. I love
think you are sick! Good luck! a ton of squirrels! Now we to play soccer, though when
call them tree kittens! I would you use an acorn for a ball,
Ahnia P., age 8, Minnesota love to see squirrels playing sometimes the goal-keeper eats
soccer. it by accident. Do you ever have
Dear Ahnia, that problem?
Ha ha, that is very disgusting! Your squirrel loving friend,
I’ll try it tomorrow. Emily W., age 10, Colorado Your favorite tree keeper,
Marvin Avery

a s k 31

Greece

January Contest

Coo House
Pigeons like to live near other pigeons,

nesting in holes in cliffs—or in handy

pigeon houses that people build for them.

For this month’s contest, design a stylish

pigeon loft for our favorite feathered

friends. What features would they like?

How should it look? Where would you put

it? Draw us a picture of your pigeon dream Germany
house, and we’ll share a sampling of the

most snazzy in an upcoming issue of Ask. Qatar

Contest Rules: 5. Your entry must be signed or emailed 7. Email a photo of your artwork to
by a parent or legal guardian, saying it’s [email protected], or mail to:
1. Your contest entry must be your very your own work and that no one helped Ask, 70 East Lake St., Suite 800, Chicago,
own work. Ideas and words should not you, and that Ask has permission to IL 60601. Entries must be postmarked or
be copied. publish it in print and online. emailed by January 31, 2020.

2. Be sure to include your name, age, and 6. For information on the Children’s Online 8. We will publish the winning entries in an
address on your entry. Privacy Protection Act, see the Privacy upcoming issue of Ask.
Policy page at cricketmedia.com.
3. Only one entry per person, please.
4. If you want your work returned, enclose

a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

by Ivars Peterson

Bot's

Rotational Recycling

Do you recognize this symbol looks the same

symbol? You see it after each one-third

everywhere—three bent turn, we say it has

arrows in a triangle. three-fold rotational

The pattern stands for symmetry.

recycling, You can find

If you look at a few If you rotate this shape one-third turn, rotational symmetry

in different places, you it looks different (the dark arrow moves). everywhere. Check out

may discover that the the hubcaps of cars,

symbol comes in two or the petals of many

different forms. On flowers.

one, all the bent arrows Some have three-fold

are the same. But on rotational symmetry,

the other, one arrow is just like the recycling

different. It bends the But this one looks the same after symbol. Others look
other way. Which version rotating. It has rotational symmetry the same after you

do you see more often? turn the pattern one

This all-same version has a quarter, one fifth, or

special mathematical property. one sixth of the way

If you turn the pattern one around.

third of the way around, it looks

exactly the same as it did before

the turn.

Shapes that look the same if

you rotate them are said to have

rotational symmetry.

Symmetry means that an

object is balanced, and looks the

same if you rotate or flip it.

There are different kinds of Other shapes with
symmetry. Since the recycling rotational symmetry