The Role of Outward Journey Information in the Orientation of Homing Pigeons

To study the role of outward-journey information in the navigational system of birds, the orientation behavior of inexperienced pigeons of various ages was analyzed. Our findings suggest that information collected en route plays a very important role during the development of the orientation system. Route reversal provides a first mechanism of orientation prior to the establishing of a navigation “map”. More experienced birds seem to use mostly information collected at the release site. This is in agreement with the model proposed by W. Wiltschko and R. Wiltschko (1976, 1978, 1979).

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