A magnet attached to the forehead disrupts magnetic compass orientation in a migratory songbird.

ABSTRACT: For studies on magnetic compass orientation and navigation performance in small bird species, controlled experiments with orientation cages inside an electromagnetic coil system are the most prominent methodological paradigm. These are, however, not applicable when studying larger bird species and/or orientation behaviour during free flight. For this, researchers have followed a very different approach, attaching small magnets to birds, with the intention of depriving them of access to meaningful magnetic information. Unfortunately, results from studies using this approach appear rather inconsistent. As these are based on experiments with birds under free-flight conditions, which usually do not allow exclusion of other potential orientation cues, an assessment of the overall efficacy of th

SUBMITTER: Packmor F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8645232 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature