Next Article in Journal
Improved SSVEP Classification Through EEG Artifact Reduction Using Auxiliary Sensors
Previous Article in Journal
In Situ Determination of Chlorella Concentration Using Single Entity Electrochemistry
Previous Article in Special Issue
Exploring New Ways to Analyze Data on the Spontaneous Physical Activity of Rodents Through a Weighing Balance
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Sensors
Volume 26
Issue 3
10.3390/s26030916
sensors-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Multi-Sensor Assessment of Pigeon Flight Behavior: Role of Biomechanical and Landscape Characteristics

by
Flavia Forconi
1,*,†,
Ilenia De Meis
1,†,
Giacomo Dell’Omo
2,
Valentina Camomilla
3,
Giuseppe Vannozzi
3,
Maurizio Schmid
1,
Silvia Conforto
1 and
Daniele Bibbo
1
1
Department of Industrial, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering, Roma Tre University, 00146 Rome, Italy
2
Ornis italica, 00199 Rome, Italy
3
Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, 00135 Rome, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Sensors 2026, 26(3), 916; https://doi.org/10.3390/s26030916 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 23 December 2025 / Revised: 15 January 2026 / Accepted: 27 January 2026 / Published: 31 January 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sensing-Based Animal Biomechanics)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Understanding how birds adjust their flight in response to biomechanical characteristics and environmental conditions can be useful for interpreting homing behavior. This study investigates homing pigeons’ (Columba livia) flight behavior using multi-sensor biologgers, integrating GPS, tri-axial accelerometer, pressure, and temperature sensors. Flight biomechanics were assessed by extracting: wingbeat frequency from the Short-Time Fourier Transform of the total acceleration signal and peak-to-peak acceleration from the dorso-ventral component. Landscape characteristics were provided by classifying land cover along the route using a geographic atlas and by computing flight altitude above ground level through the combination of pressure-derived altitude and a digital elevation model. The results reveal a progressive decrease in wingbeat frequency along the homing route, showing a linear relationship with traveled distance. To assess whether this pattern can be interpreted in terms of flight regulation, flight altitude was modeled as a function of biomechanical and environmental variables using a linear mixed-effect approach. The analysis indicates that flight altitude is significantly affected by wingbeat frequency as well as by temperature, ground speed, and land cover, with wingbeat frequency and temperature showing the strongest negative association.
Keywords: homing pigeons; wearable devices; accelerometer; wingbeat frequency; biologging; time-frequency analysis; altitude; land cover classification homing pigeons; wearable devices; accelerometer; wingbeat frequency; biologging; time-frequency analysis; altitude; land cover classification

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Forconi, F.; De Meis, I.; Dell’Omo, G.; Camomilla, V.; Vannozzi, G.; Schmid, M.; Conforto, S.; Bibbo, D. Multi-Sensor Assessment of Pigeon Flight Behavior: Role of Biomechanical and Landscape Characteristics. Sensors 2026, 26, 916. https://doi.org/10.3390/s26030916

AMA Style

Forconi F, De Meis I, Dell’Omo G, Camomilla V, Vannozzi G, Schmid M, Conforto S, Bibbo D. Multi-Sensor Assessment of Pigeon Flight Behavior: Role of Biomechanical and Landscape Characteristics. Sensors. 2026; 26(3):916. https://doi.org/10.3390/s26030916

Chicago/Turabian Style

Forconi, Flavia, Ilenia De Meis, Giacomo Dell’Omo, Valentina Camomilla, Giuseppe Vannozzi, Maurizio Schmid, Silvia Conforto, and Daniele Bibbo. 2026. "Multi-Sensor Assessment of Pigeon Flight Behavior: Role of Biomechanical and Landscape Characteristics" Sensors 26, no. 3: 916. https://doi.org/10.3390/s26030916

APA Style

Forconi, F., De Meis, I., Dell’Omo, G., Camomilla, V., Vannozzi, G., Schmid, M., Conforto, S., & Bibbo, D. (2026). Multi-Sensor Assessment of Pigeon Flight Behavior: Role of Biomechanical and Landscape Characteristics. Sensors, 26(3), 916. https://doi.org/10.3390/s26030916

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Article metric data becomes available approximately 24 hours after publication online.
Back to TopTop