I find the explosion of interest in the visual system of mice surprising, given that murine eyesight is equivalent to 20/2,000 vision in humans. With their 20/50 vision, pigeons might offer a less “blurry picture” of human 20/20 visual acuity (Nature 502, 156–158; 2013).

Mammals and birds have different brain set-ups, but they both have two, similar visual systems (T. Shimizu and A. N. Bowers Behav. Brain Res. 98, 183–191; 1999). Moreover, pigeons could sidestep the logistical and ethical concerns associated with monkey models of visual processing.

Then there are the untouchables — the birds of prey, which could teach us a thing or two about crystal-clear viewing. The eagle's vision, for example, is widely believed to be about 20/4 in human terms.