RETRACTED: Do Magnetic murmurs guide birds? A directional statistical investigation for influence of Earth's Magnetic field on bird navigation
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2025

Using Pharmacological Manipulation and High-precision Radio Telemetry to Study the Spatial Cognition in Free-ranging Animals
Published on: November 6, 2016
Prithwish Ghosh1, Debashis Chatterjee2, Amlan Banerjee3
1Department of Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of America.
Abstract:
This paper delves into the intricate relationship between changes in Magnetic inclination and declination at specific geographical locations and the navigational decisions of migratory birds. Leveraging a dataset sourced from a prominent bird path tracking web resource, encompassing six distinct bird species' migratory trajectories, latitudes, longitudes, and observation timestamps, we meticulously analyzed the interplay between these avian movements and corresponding alterations in Magnetic inclination and declination. Employing a circular von Mises distribution assumption for the latitude and longitude distributions within each subdivision, we introduced a pioneering circular-circular regression model, accounting for von Mises error, to scrutinize our hypothesis. Our findings, predominantly supported by hypothesis tests conducted through circular-circular regression analysis, underscore the profound influence of Magnetic inclination and declination shifts on the dynamic adjustments observed in bird migration paths. Moreover, our meticulous examination revealed a consistent adherence to von Mises distribution across all bird directions. Notably, we unearthed compelling correlations between specific bird species, such as the Black Crowned Night Heron and Brown Pelican, exhibiting a noteworthy negative correlation with Magnetic inclination and a contrasting positive correlation with Magnetic declination. Similarly, the Pacific loon demonstrated a distinct negative correlation with Magnetic inclination and a positive association with Magnetic declination. Conversely, other avian counterparts showcased positive correlations with both Magnetic declination and inclination, further elucidating the nuanced dynamics between avian navigation and the Earth's magnetic field parameters.
Related Concept Videos
Compass
Magnetic Declination
Magnetic Field Lines
Magnetic field lines follow several hard-and-fast rules:
Magnetism
An individual magnetic pole cannot be isolated. No matter how small, every piece of a magnet contains a north pole and a south...
Magnetic Field due to Moving Charges
Consider a point charge moving with a constant velocity. Like the electric field, the magnetic field at any point is directly proportional to the magnitude of the charge and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the source point and the field point. However, unlike the electric field, the magnetic field is always perpendicular to the plane containing the line...
Magnetic Force On A Current-Carrying Conductor
Consider a compass placed near a current-carrying wire. The wire experiences a force that aligns the needle of the compass tangentially around the wire. Thus, the current-carrying wire produces concentric circular loops of magnetic field. The magnetic field generated by a wire can be...

