The idea of using birds to deliver mail has captured people’s imaginations for centuries. Tales of carrier pigeons transporting messages date back thousands of years. In modern times, some entrepreneurial thinkers have proposed training birds to carry letters and small packages from sender to receiver. This raises the question: is it really feasible for birds to take over duties of the postal service and reliably deliver mail?
The History of Birds Delivering Messages
Using birds to send letters dates back millennia. In 2500 BC, Egyptians used pigeons to communicate the names of victorious pharaohs. Carrier pigeons were routinely deployed in ancient Greece and Rome to relay the results of athletic competitions like the original Olympic games. During World War I and World War II, pigeons transported thousands of crucial messages between military forces. The United States Army Pigeon Service had over 54,000 pigeons in service during World War II.
The most famous bird in the history of “air mail” was likely Cher Ami, a homing pigeon deployed by the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War I. In October 1918, Major Charles Whittlesey and more than 500 U.S. soldiers were trapped behind enemy lines with no food or ammunition. Their last carrier pigeons were shot down by German troops. In a desperate attempt to summon support, Whittlesey sent Cher Ami with a message to headquarters. The bird was shot in the chest and lost an eye but managed to return with the soldiers’ location, ultimately saving 194 men.
Training Birds to Deliver Mail
Today, most mail is delivered by postal trucks and planes rather than feathered couriers. But some individuals and organizations have tried training birds for mail delivery as an experiment or novelty. Typically homing pigeons are used, but other smart and highly trainable birds like crows or parrots could potentially learn mail delivery routes.
The first step in training is building an enclosure along the delivery route with spaced feeders or perches. When the birds stop at each point for food, they learn the specific route. The distance between stops is slowly increased over time as the birds become conditioned to fly greater distances between points.
Next, birds must grow accustomed to carrying small loads in pouches affixed to their bodies. Gradually heavier weights are added to strengthen the birds and build their flight stamina. Precise navigation and route recall are critical, so birds may be transported in covered cages to random locations and then timed on their return home.
Positive reinforcement with food rewards is vital throughout the training process. Some birds show great natural aptitude while others struggle to master deliveries. Only the strongest and smartest birds advance to the final stages of practicing mail delivery.
Real-World Examples
In 1998, an entrepreneur in India started a pigeon post messaging service using trained birds to fly across the cities of Chandigarh and Panchkula. Customers paid to have short written messages delivered up to 70 miles for important business or personal communications. The service was relatively short-lived but demonstrated that pigeon post could still find a niche market in the modern era of telecommunications.
In 2009, a Chinese enthusiast trained pigeons to deliver mail to rural communities around Taiyuan, China. With 10 birds transporting small parcels up to 75 miles, the network served over 200 villages. Reports indicate the birds could complete a 150-mile round trip in approximately two hours. This novel mail system bridged communication gaps in isolated areas without good road infrastructure.
Some innovators see even greater potential with pigeon post and have launched startups to leverage birds for commercial delivery services. However, no large-scale projects have demonstrated consistent success at utilizing trained birds for mainstream mail or parcel deliveries.
Advantages of Pigeon Post
Using birds to carry mail offers some unique advantages:
- Very fast transit times – pigeons can maintain speeds up to 60 mph.
- Direct point-to-point delivery avoiding complex infrastructure.
- Ability to travel to hard-to-reach destinations in isolated areas.
- Low-tech solution not dependent on electricity or advanced technology.
- Pigeons have excellent navigation and homing abilities.
In the right circumstances such as during wars, natural disasters or for remote locations, pigeon post exploits the strengths of birds to transport messages when other means are limited or unavailable.
Disadvantages of Pigeon Post
Unfortunately, there are also major downsides that likely preclude large-scale adoption of birds delivering mail:
- Extremely limited message size and weight capacity compared to trucks and planes.
- Security and privacy risks since messages could be intercepted.
- Reliability impacted by predators, hunters, storms, accidents and deaths.
- Long training required for birds to learn routes.
- Housing, care, and feeding of birds has ongoing costs.
- No technology or tracking options to confirm receipt and transit.
- Weather conditions can impair pigeon performance and speed.
The small payload size is the critical limiting factor. Letters may be feasible, but pigeons cannot realistically carry larger mail pieces, magazines, or packages that people routinely send through the postal system or private carriers.
Conclusion
Birds have served admirably as message couriers at certain points through history but simply lack the physical capacity for cost-effective mainstream mail delivery. Their lightweight bodies supported only by wings are not designed to carry substantial loads over long distances day after day. While pigeons can transport mail over short routes or in niche roles, trucks and airplanes have proven far more practical for moving large volumes of mail. Perhaps with advanced technologies like exoskeletons or genetic engineering, birds could someday gain enhanced load capacity to transport more mail. But for now, planes, trucks, and drones are significantly more efficient at delivering the mail on any large scale, so birds won’t displace postal workers or pilots anytime soon.
