Bird Navigation

Bird navigation is a fascinating and intricate process that involves a variety of sensory and cognitive abilities. Discover the science behind how birds find their way during long-distance migrations, including the role of visual, magnetic, olfactory, and celestial cues. Learn about the amazing adaptations that birds have developed to navigate different environments and conditions, from Arctic tundra to tropical rainforests. Explore the practical applications of bird navigation research, including conservation, aviation, and robotics. Discover our resources and expert insights on bird navigation and expand your understanding of one of the most extraordinary abilities in the animal kingdom.

Swallows

Useful links wikipedia.org/wiki/Swallow birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/swallow.asp Below is the of the swallow migration map: www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/autumnwatch/2009/11/lates… We, in Europe, measure the beginning of Spring by the arrival of the swallows.  Many swallows make a 6,000 mile journey from Europe to winter in South Africa and back. I believe, that the way that swallows make this migration is by…

Murmuration

http://vimeo.com/31158841 This video shows the amazing whorls and patterns made by a flock of starlings.  You might see these over cities.  These displays used to be common over London, and I think still are over Rome. Whilst there has been much scientific research and theories on why starlings do this, the contention is that the…

Does the geomagnetic field intensity affect the flight path of homing pigeons?

Analysis of GPS recorded tracks of intact trigeminal sectioned pigeons. Conditioning studies have shown that the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve is functionally involved in the perception of the geomagnetic field intensity. However, homing experiments conducted in the field with homing pigeons demonstrated that trigeminal mediation of magnetoreception is neither necessary nor sufficient for…

Ingo Schiffner at RIN11

At RIN11 Ingo Schiffner gave his presentation Mathematical Analysis of Pigeon Tracks (the characterisation of the underlying navigational process). He analysed 167 tracks with birds navigating from four different locations and from two different directions. His theory is that pigeons navigate using at least four different components and these components change over the course of…