One episode of Big Bang Theory featured a dialogue about pigeons playing ping-pong. I decided to google whether this is a real experiment and this is what I found (video at the end of the post)
Scientists in the 90s conducted an experiment that proved that these birds are able to master non-standard behavioral tasks if they build a learning system correctly.
The study was based on classical operant conditioning. Pigeons were gradually trained to peck at a moving target on a screen that simulated a ball. Each successful shot was accompanied by a small reward. Eventually, two birds were connected to the same system, where their bites bounced the same «ball» in different directions, creating a play effect.
The result was unexpectedly successful. Birds did not simply react reflexively, but displayed consistent behavior similar to true blow exchange. They learned to predict the trajectory of an object and respond to the opponent's actions.
Although not ping-pong in the human sense, the experiment showed the impressive possibilities of pigeons to learn, adapt and interact. It also became a good demonstration of how even simple species can master more complex behavior patterns under conditions of correct motivation and a clear structure of tasks.
BF Skinner Foundation systematically documents and disseminates the works of Bergs Skinner, including his numerous pigeon experiments. It was pigeons that became one of the key species on which Skinner built his theory of operant conditioning —, they were well trained, quickly formed associations and allowed to clearly observe behavior changes.
For example, in this video - an almost real ping-pong game:
