Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

A Video Demonstration of Preserved Piloting by Scent Tracking but Impaired Dead Reckoning After Fimbria-Fornix Lesions in the Rat
Published on: April 24, 2009
A mathematical expectation model for bird navigation based on the clock-and-compass strategy
1Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont., K7L 3N6, Canada.
Abstract:
We present here a mathematical formula for the directional distribution of migratory birds if they use a vector navigation/clock-and-compass strategy to find their winter quarters. It is based on mathematical expectation theory and shows that a simple parabola can describe the expected geographical spread of clock-and-compass birds as a function of migratory distance. Predictions based on this model are then tested against all same autumn ringing recoveries of first-season Pied Flycatchers, Ficedula hypoleuca, ringed in Scandinavia and European Robins, Erithacus rubecula, ringed in Sweden and Finland and recovered north of the Sahara Desert. We find that the predictions of our analytical model fit the ringing recovery distribution of freely migrating conspecifics extremely well.
More Related Videos
08:28Using Pharmacological Manipulation and High-precision Radio Telemetry to Study the Spatial Cognition in Free-ranging Animals
Published on: November 6, 2016
07:09Integrating Visual Psychophysical Assays within a Y-Maze to Isolate the Role that Visual Features Play in Navigational Decisions
Published on: May 2, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Optimal Foraging
Azimuths and Bearings
Design Example: Marking Boundaries of a Site Using a Compass
Vectors in 2D: Problem Solving
Real-World Applications of Space Curves
Vector Functions and Motion: Problem Solving