Dogs have received a great deal of media attention for being able to sniff out cancer. But it turns out pigeons may make great cancer detectives, too — because their superior eyesight allows them to visualize tumor cells.

A new study in the Public Library of Science journal PLOS ONE finds the birds offer great potential as testers of cancer detection technology and as a help in doctor training, CNN reports

The research, led by Dr. Richard Levenson at University of California-Davis Medical Center, involved training pigeons to distinguishing images of breast cancer cells and those that are not cancerous.

The scientists trained the birds to peck at images of malignant cells. After two weeks of training, the birds were able to tell the difference, with 85 percent accuracy.

"What is going on inside their brain is not nearly as crude as people think," Dr. Levenson said of the pigeons. "They may in fact have a rich inner life."