Abstract

Overview

Understanding how birds navigate and precisely return to their breeding grounds is vital for studying their migratory patterns. This study sheds light on these mechanisms.

Findings

• Eurasian reed warbler's use of the Earth's magnetic field as a guide during migration is investigated.
• Data is analyzed from a century's worth of bird ringing recoveries.
• Magnetic inclination functions as a natural "stop sign" to identify breeding sites.
• Different migratory paths resolve location ambiguities through unique stop triggers.

Conclusion

The research provides evidence that fluctuations in Earth's magnetic field influence the precision of birds' return to breeding sites, impacting survival and reproduction strategies.