During the Second World War, the US Military needed to find accurate ways to guide its missiles for a precision strike on its targets. This is the centerpiece of Project Pigeon, an attempt by American psychologist B.F. Skinner’s to develop a pigeon-controlled bomb.

Skinner began his experiment in 1940 to test how pigeons could be used to guide another object. This is done by placing the pigeons in a harness, and as they peck a small dish filled with grain, their head movements would steer a small cart towards a target bullseye. These experiments progressed to having pigeons guide their harness towards other targets such as training them to steer towards pictures on the screen.

The idea was pitched to the US Military; however, it was in June 1943 that Skinner managed to sign a small contract with the US Office of Scientific Research and Development to develop the proposed pigeon missile guided system. Choosing the best three pigeons, the trio would be placed in the cone of a missile dubbed “the pelican”.

Each pigeon in the “Pelican” would have to look at a small electronic screen displayed in the head of the missile, and as they pecked away at the target, small pulleys attached to their heads would steer it, causing the missile to hit the target with accurate precision, but would kill the birds upon impact.

Although the experiment for the pigeon-guided missile system was successful, the project was shut down as it was a far-fetched idea in practical application. However, the US Navy revived the concept in Project Orcon, short for “Organic Control,” to help guide anti-ship missiles in 1948. Fortunately, for the pigeons, the idea was cancelled in 1953 due to technological advancements in accurate missile guidance.

Still, Project Pigeon was an intriguing concept of how nature’s intelligence can meet the needs of conventional warfare.

https://americanhistory.si.edu/ne/collections/object/nmah_690069

https://taskandpurpose.com/history/project-pigeon-missiles-ww2/

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/research-nobel-university-of-minnesota-paris-france-b2612008.html

https://www.nist.gov/blogs/taking-measure/saga-bird-brained-bombers