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Magnetic position determination by homing pigeons?

W Ian Reilly1

  • 1School of Surveying, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. ireilly@suthern.co.nz

Journal of Theoretical Biology
|September 26, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Pigeons may not use magnetic field anomalies to navigate home. A proposed vector summation model, requiring complex magnetic fields, is unlikely to provide useful positional information for homing pigeons.

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Area of Science:

  • Animal behavior
  • Navigation
  • Magnetoreception

Background:

  • Homing pigeon navigation from unfamiliar locations is a complex behavioral puzzle.
  • Previous models proposed pigeons use magnetic total intensity for positioning.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the applicability of Walker's vector summation model for pigeon navigation.
  • To investigate if pigeons can derive useful navigational information from magnetic field anomalies.

Main Methods:

  • Simulated magnetic fields with geocentric dipole and higher-order anomalies (regional and local).
  • Calculated home loft directions from various simulated release sites.
  • Assessed the utility of the vector summation model under these conditions.

Main Results:

  • The vector summation model is not applicable in a simple geocentric dipole field.
  • The model requires perturbed magnetic fields with higher-order sources.
  • Pigeons are unlikely to derive useful navigational information from this model.

Conclusions:

  • Walker's vector summation model is unlikely to explain how pigeons navigate.
  • The complexity of magnetic field anomalies may render the model ineffective for pigeon homing.

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