Winkie was a homing pigeon from Dundee, Scotland.

Homing pigeons are known for finding their way home, even if they are far away. That is why they were put on planes by the British Royal Air Force during the Second World War. If the plane went down the pigeon would fly home and this would let people know that the plane was in trouble. In February 1942 she was on a plane called a Beaufort Bomber, when it was shot down and landed in the freezing cold waters of the North Sea off the coast of Scotland. The plane was destroyed, but the crew scrambled onto the life boat. Luckily they were able to release Winkie from her cage. 

Winkie flew for over 160 kilometers, which would usually take four hours, but that night it took her 16 hours. Her wings were covered in oil from the crash. She was so tired when she finally made it home, that her eyelid kept fluttering. This is where she got the name Winkie. The Air Force quickly figured out where Winkie had flown from. They found the life boat and all the men from the crashed plane were rescued.