Eurasian reed warblers don’t just get a sense of direction from Earth’s magnetic field – they can also calculate their coordinates on a mental map
Many migratory birds use Earth’s magnetic field as a compass, but some can also use information from that field to determine more or less where they are on a mental map.) appear to calculate their geographical position by drawing data from different distances and angles between magnetic fields and the Earth’s shape.
The team then put the birds in a special cage for studying migratory instincts and asked two independent researchers – who were unaware of the changes in magnetic field – to record which way the birds headed. In the modified magnetic field situations, most of the birds showed a clear penchant for flying west-southwest, as though they were trying to return to their migration route from Russia.
“Of course, they don’t know it’s Russia, but it’s too far north and east of where they should be,” says Holland. “And then at that point, they look at their compass system to work out how to fly south and west.”
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