Navigation by homing pigeons

Pigeons are able to home from a distant unfamiliar site, even if, during transportation to this site, they were prevented from gathering potentially useful information on spatial configurations of the external world as well as on their own movements. Hence they can deduce information on their current position in relation to home from local clues in an unfamiliar area which may be hundreds of kilometres away from any experienced location. Most likely the birds have analogues of a map and a compass which are used in a process consisting of two steps. For the second step, a fairly well known «sun-azimuth compass» is used; under overcast skies, it may be replaced by a (less well understood) «magnetic compass». Attempts to explain the «map» component, i.e., the mechanism of site localization, on the basis of astronomical or magnetic clues, have been unsuccessful. It has been found, however, that olfactory signals are basically involved. Homing of pigeons from unfamiliar distant sites requires (a) an intact olf...

[1]  Frank C. Whitmore,et al.  A Preliminary Study of a Physical Basis of Bird Navigation , 1947 .

[2]  G. Matthews..  Sun Navigation in Homing Pigeons , 1953 .

[3]  C. Pennycuick.  The Physical Basis of Astro-Navigation in Birds: Theoretical Considerations , 1960 .

[4]  G. Kramer,et al.  CHAPTER XXII – Long-Distance Orientation , 1961 .

[5]  H. G. Wallraff.  The present status of our knowledge about pigeon homing , 1967 .

[6]  K. Frisch.  The dance language and orientation of bees , 1967 .

[7]  W. Keeton,et al.  Magnets interfere with pigeon homing. , 1971, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[8]  M. Tosi,et al.  Archaeomagnetism in Iran , 1972, Nature.

[9]  William T. Keeton,et al.  The Orientational and Navigational Basis of Homing in Birds , 1974 .

[10]  C. Walcott,et al.  Orientation of Homing Pigeons Altered by a Change in the Direction of an Applied Magnetic Field , 1974, Science.

[11]  B. M. Wenzel,et al.  DOES THE OLFACTORY SYSTEM MODULATE AFFECTIVE BEHAVIOR IN THE PIGEON? * , 1977, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

[12]  N. E. Baldaccini,et al.  Investigation of Pigeon Homing by Means of “Deflector Cages” , 1978 .

[13]  Inversion of the Magnetic Field During Transport: Its Influence on the Homing Behavior of Pigeons* , 1978 .

[14]  C. Walcott,et al.  Anomalies in the Earth’s Magnetic Field Increase the Scatter of Pigeons’ Vanishing Bearings , 1978 .

[15]  W. Wiltschko,et al.  Effect of Outward Journey in an Altered Magnetic Field on the Orientation of Young Homing Pigeons , 1978 .

[16]  K. Schmidt-Koenig,et al.  Further Experiments on the Olfactory Hypothesis of Pigeon Homing , 1978 .

[17]  Hans Georg Wallraff,et al.  Preferred compass directions in initial orientation of homing pigeons , 1978 .

[18]  E. Visalberghi,et al.  MAGNETIC INFLUENCES ON PIGEON HOMING , 1979 .

[19]  K. Schmidt-Koenig.  Avian orientation and navigation , 1979 .

[20]  H. G. Wallraff.  Clock-Controlled Orientation in Space , 1981 .

[21]  N. E. Baldaccini,et al.  Pigeon Orientation: Experiments on the Role of Olfactory Stimuli Perceived During the Outward Journey , 1982 .

[22]  J. Phillips,et al.  Reflected Light Cues Generate the Short-Term Deflector-Loft Effect , 1982 .

[23]  J. Kiepenheuer,et al.  Pigeon Orientation: A Preliminary Evaluation of Factors Involved or Not Involved in the Deflector Loft Effect , 1982 .

[24]  J. L. Gould,et al.  The map sense of pigeons , 1982, Nature.

[25]  Horst Mittelstaedt,et al.  Homing by Path Integration , 1982 .

[26]  J. Kiepenheuer.  The Effect of Magnetic Anomalies on the Homing Behaviour of Pigeons: An Attempt to Analyse the Possible Factors Involved , 1982 .

[27]  F. Papi.  Olfaction and Homing in Pigeons: Ten Years of Experiments , 1982 .

[28]  C. Walcott.  Is There Evidence for a Magnetic Map in Homing Pigeons , 1982 .

[29]  J. Phillips,et al.  Pigeon Homing: New Experiments Involving Permanent-Resident Deflector-Loft Birds , 1982 .

[30]  W. Wiltschko,et al.  Distribution of Release-Site Biases Around Frankfurt a.M., Germany , 1982 .

[31]  H. G. Wallraff,et al.  Comparative Investigations of Pigeon Homing in Germany and Italy , 1982 .

[32]  H. G. Wallraff.  Homing to Würzburg: An Interim Report on Long-Term Analyses of Pigeon Navigation , 1982 .

[33]  N. E. Baldaccini,et al.  Homing behaviour of pigeons released after having been placed in an alternating magnetic field , 1983 .

[34]  H. G. Wallraff,et al.  Long-distance releases to determine the spatial range of pigeon navigation , 1983 .

[35]  W. Wiltschko.  Compasses used by birds , 1983 .

[36]  C. Walcott,et al.  Homing pigeon navigation: the effects of in-flight exposure to a varying magnetic field , 1983 .

[37]  Hans Georg Wallraff,et al.  Relevance of atmospheric odours and geomagnetic field to pigeon navigation: What is the “map” basis? , 1983 .

[38]  Pigeon homing: Further experiments on shielded lofts , 1983 .

[39]  C. Walcott,et al.  The Orientation of Pigeons at Gravity Anomalies , 1984 .

[40]  W. Wiltschko,et al.  Pigeon homing: change in navigational strategy during ontogeny , 1985, Animal Behaviour.

[41]  G. Maret,et al.  The Effect of Ultrahigh Magnetic Fields on the Initial Orientation of Homing Pigeons , 1986 .

[42]  H. G. Wallraff,et al.  ATTEMPTS TO REVEAL THE NATURE OF APPARENT RESIDUAL HOMEWARD ORIENTATION IN ANOSMIC PIGEONS: APPLICATION OF MAGNETIC FIELDS , 1986 .

[43]  C. Walcott.  A Review of Magnetic Effects on Homing Pigeon Orientation , 1986 .

[44]  W. Wiltschko,et al.  The orientation behaviour of anosmic pigeons in Frankfurt a.M., Germany , 1987, Animal Behaviour.

[45]  J. Waldvogel.  Olfactory navigation in homing pigeons: are the current models atmospherically realistic? , 1987 .

[46]  Klaus Schmidt-Koenig,et al.  Bird Navigation: Has Olfactory Orientation Solved the Problem? , 1987, The Quarterly Review of Biology.

[47]  H. G. Wallraff.  Determinants of homing-flight courses of pigeons , 1988 .

[48]  H. G. Wallraff.  Olfactory deprivation in pigeons: examination of methods applied in homing experiments. , 1988, Comparative biochemistry and physiology. A, Comparative physiology.

[49]  J. Phillips,et al.  Celestial polarized light patterns as a calibration reference for sun compass of homing pigeons , 1988 .

[50]  P. Ioalé,et al.  Pigeon navigation: new experiments on interaction between olfactory and magnetic cues , 1988 .

[51]  R Wehner,et al.  Path integration in desert ants, Cataglyphis fortis. , 1988, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[52]  A. Etienne,et al.  Limitations in the Assessment of Path Dependent Information , 1988 .

[53]  J. Phillips,et al.  Changes in the short-term deflector loft effect are linked to the sun compass of homing pigeons , 1988, Animal Behaviour.

[54]  B. R. Moore,et al.  Magnetic fields and orientation in homing pigeons: experiments of the late W. T. Keeton. , 1988, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[55]  P. Ioalé,et al.  Pigeon homing: effects of magnetic disturbances before release on initial orientation , 1989 .

[56]  H. G. Wallraff,et al.  Orientation and homing success of experienced and inexperienced anosmic pigeons , 1989 .

[57]  Hans Georg Wallraff,et al.  Simulated Navigation Based on Observed Gradients of Atmospheric Trace Gases (Models on Pigeon Homing, Part 3) , 1989 .

[58]  Hans Georg Wallraff,et al.  Simulated navigation based on unreliable sources of information (models on pigeon homing. Part 1) , 1989 .

[59]  S. Benvenuti,et al.  The Influence of Olfactory Deprivation On Homing of Experienced and Inexperienced American Pigeons , 1989 .

[60]  J. Waldvogel,et al.  Olfactory Orientation by Birds , 1989 .

[61]  F. Papi.  Pigeons use olfactory cues to navigate , 1989 .

[62]  Hans Georg Wallraff,et al.  Long-distance navigation of homing pigeons based on airborne olfactory signals , 1990 .

[63]  Conceptual approaches to avian navigation systems , 1990 .