Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
8 years ago

Migratory birds lose navigation in flat magnetic fields, risking perilous journeys.

Scientific Reports
Migratory blackcaps can use their magnetic compass at 5 degrees inclination, but are completely random at 0 degrees inclination
Susanne Schwarze, Friederike Steenken, Nadine Thiele, Dmitry Kobylkov, Nele Lefeldt, David L. Dreyer, Nils-Lasse Schneider, Henrik Mouritsen

Paper Summary

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Migratory blackcaps can use their magnetic compass at a 5-degree angle, but are completely random at a 0-degree angle. This means that these birds can navigate using the Earth's magnetic field, but only within a certain range of angles. The researchers tested the birds' orientation in different magnetic fields and found that at a 5-degree angle, the blackcaps were able to orient themselves well. However, when the angle was reduced to 0 degrees, the birds were unable to use their magnetic compass effectively and were randomly oriented. This suggests that blackcaps have a limit to how shallow of an angle they can use for magnetic orientation, with 5 degrees being the threshold for these birds.