Abstract
We provide an extensive review of the pigeon visual system, focussing on the known cell types, receptive field characteristics, mechanisms of perception/visual attention, and projection profiles of neurons in the thalamo-fugal and tectofugal pathways. The similarities and differences with the primate visual system at each stage of the visual hierarchy are highlighted. We conclude with a discussion of object and face processing in birds, as well as the current state of knowledge in the search for face-selective neurons in the avian visual system.