A carrier pigeon equipped with a high-capacity USB drive for data transport
| Technical details | |
|---|---|
| Developer | David Waitzman |
| First release | April 1, 1990 |
| Latest release | Released when birds feel like it |
| Transport protocol | Avian |
IP over Avian Carriers (IPoAC) is a humorous proposal for carrying Internet Protocol (IP) traffic by birds such as homing pigeons. Originally described in RFC 1149[1] and standardized in RFC 2549[2], IPoAC has been implemented, although for testing purposes only.
The concept was first proposed by David Waitzman in 1990 as an April Fools' Day RFC (Request for Comments). The initial specification laid out the basic principles for using avian carriers to transport IP packets, though it notably lacked provisions for quality of service. During this period, the proposal remained largely theoretical, serving primarily as a teaching tool for networking concepts.
The first practical implementation of IPoAC came in 2001 when the Bergen Linux User Group successfully transmitted nine packets via carrier pigeon. This groundbreaking test achieved a packet loss rate of 55%, which was considered "acceptable for a beta release." In 2004, a South African IT company demonstrated that carrier pigeons could transfer more data faster than the country's ADSL service, highlighting infrastructure challenges in developing regions.[4]
The rise of high-capacity USB drives and microSD cards led to significant improvements in IPoAC's theoretical bandwidth. In 2016, a proof-of-concept test in rural Australia achieved a data transfer rate of 2.27 TB per hour using a pigeon equipped with multiple 512GB microSD cards. This surpassed the effective bandwidth of many rural internet connections, leading to the famous "Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of pigeons" adage being updated to "Never underestimate the bandwidth of a pigeon with a microSD card."[5]
During the global semiconductor shortage of 2021-2022, several tech companies jokingly proposed IPoAC as an alternative data transfer method for their data centers. Google's April Fools' Day announcement of "Google Cloud Pigeon" in 2023 included actual technical specifications for a theoretical avian-based data transfer network, complete with "nest-as-a-service" architecture.[6]
Several upcoming developments are anticipated in the IPoAC space:
The original proposal suggests using carrier pigeons to physically transfer data between two locations, with the data being written onto small scrolls of paper or other physical media attached to the bird's leg. Modern implementations typically use USB drives or SD cards, significantly increasing the data transfer capacity but maintaining the core principle of avian-based delivery.
Figure: Example of catastrophic packet loss in IPoAC implementation - Estimated data loss: 32GB (plus one carrier)
On April 28, 2001, IPoAC was actually implemented by the Bergen Linux User Group. They sent nine packets over a distance of approximately 5 kilometers, achieving a ping time of about 54 minutes.[3] The packet loss ratio was 55%, which was blamed on "layer 8" issues (handler error).
| Metric | Fiber Optic | IPoAC |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum bandwidth | 100+ Gbps | Depends on bird's carrying capacity |
| Latency | ~5ms per 1000km | ~3600s per 100km (weather permitting) |
| Reliability | 99.999% | Depends on local cat population |