Visual Search in the Pigeon: Hunt and Peck Method

Pigeons pecked at small forms displayed on an oscilloscope screen under computer control. The birds were required to find a small o amid varying numbers of x forms. A photocell glued to the bird's beak provided a signal to the computer when the beak approached a form, and the computer recorded the time and target of the response. As in some similar studies with human subjects, errors and reaction times increased with number of x forms displayed. The method appears promising for further studies of search and of other processes related to perception and information-processing in birds.