Homing experiments on pigeons subjected to bilateral destruction of the paratympanic organ

The paratympanic organ (PO) in birds is a specialised sensory organ whose function is still unknown. G. Vitali, who first described the PO from observations of the behaviour of PO-lesioned pigeons, proposed that this organ was needed to maintain normal wing muscle function and called it the 'organ of flight'. This interpretation has since been disputed. To solve this controversy and to test whether the PO is involved in flight and navigation, we performed release tests on homing pigeons subjected to bilateral destruction of this organ. No impairment of either flight or navigation was observed in the lesioned pigeons.