Migratory birds can extract positional information from magnetic inclination and magnetic declination alone

Abstract

Overview

Migratory birds are able to navigate over great distances with remarkable accuracy. The mechanism they use to achieve this feat is thought to involve two distinct steps:

• Locating their position (the 'map')
• Heading towards the direction determined (the 'compass')

For decades, this map-and-compass concept has shaped our perception of navigation in animals, although the nature of the map remains debated. However, some recent studies suggest the involvement of the Earth's magnetic field in the map step.

Findings

This study tested whether migratory songbirds, specifically Eurasian reed warblers (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), can determine their position based on two magnetic field components that are also associated with direction finding:

• Magnetic inclination
• Magnetic declination

During a virtual magnetic displacement experiment, the birds were exposed to altered magnetic inclination and magnetic declination values that would indicate a displacement from their natural migratory corridor, but the total intensity of the field remained unchanged, creating a spatial mismatch between these components.

The response was a change in the birds' migratory direction consistent with a compensatory re-orientation.

Conclusion

This suggests that birds can extract positional as well as directional information from these cues, even when they are in conflict with another component of the magnetic field. However, it remains to be seen whether birds use the total intensity of Earth's magnetic field for navigation.