[Make it Lady (OP)]

If you put a magnet on a homing pigeon's neck it can't find it's way home. True or false folks?

[that mad man]

True if the magnet is large as it couldn't take off but.. []

I think it's just an idea that they may use magnetism to help navigate but so far I don't think it is proven.

Thought I'd do a quick search before posting and Just found this article and pdf, an experiment trying to confirm it.

http://cogprints.org/2919/

[fishwhiz]

does it depend if home is north or south???

[Kryptid]

Maybe this could be tested on Mythbusters.

[Make it Lady (OP)]

I think they prefer something they can blow up!

[science_guy]

what if they could blow up the pigeon?

[Seany]

Why would a magnet prevent a pigeon from finding its way home?
Because the magnet is attracted to the magnetic poles? []

[another_someone]

There has been speculation that some birds can use the Earth's magnetic field for navigation; but it is without doubt that even if it were to use it, it is not the only, or even the major, criteria by which it navigates.  Plain old sight (pigeons are pentachromatic), sound, and smell, still come in useful.

[Bored chemist]

long ago there was a plan to use birds (pigeons I think)to direct falling bombs onto ships so mythbusters could test the theory and then blow something up.

[Make it Lady (OP)]

There has been speculation that some birds can use the Earth's magnetic field for navigation; but it is without doubt that even if it were to use it, it is not the only, or even the major, criteria by which it navigates.  Plain old sight (pigeons are pentachromatic), sound, and smell, still come in useful.

Explain Pentachromatic (Five colours?)

[animefreak]

not if thw magnet was too strong, they would get stick to the fist metal thing they come across