Assessing vector navigation in long-distance migrating birds
Birds migrating between distant locations regularly perform long continuous flights lasting several days. What compass mechanism they use is still a mystery. Here, we use a novel approach, applying an individual-based model, taking compass mechanisms based on celestial and geomagnetic information an...
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2016
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fthighwire:oai:open-archive.highwire.org:beheco:27/3/865 2023-05-15T18:40:26+02:00 Assessing vector navigation in long-distance migrating birds Akesson, Susanne Bianco, Giuseppe 2016-05-01 00:00:00.0 text/html http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/27/3/865 https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arv231 en eng Oxford University Press http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/27/3/865 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arv231 Copyright (C) 2016, International Society for Behavioral Ecology Original Article TEXT 2016 fthighwire https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arv231 2016-11-16T19:12:08Z Birds migrating between distant locations regularly perform long continuous flights lasting several days. What compass mechanism they use is still a mystery. Here, we use a novel approach, applying an individual-based model, taking compass mechanisms based on celestial and geomagnetic information and wind into account simultaneously, to investigate what compass mechanism likely is used during long continuous flights and how wind drift or compensation affects the resulting tracks. We found that for the 6 cases of long continuous migration flights, the magnetoclinic route could best explain the route selection in all except one case compared with the alternative compass mechanisms. A flight strategy correcting for wind drift resulted most often in routes ending up closest to the predicted destinations. In only half of the cases could a time-compensated sun compass explain the migration routes observed with sufficient precision. Migration from Europe to the Siberian tundra was especially challenging to explain by one compass mechanism alone, suggesting a more complex navigation strategy. Our results speak in favor of a magnetic compass based on the angle of inclination used by birds during continuous long-distance migration flights, but also a capacity to detect and correct for drift caused by winds along the route. Text Tundra HighWire Press (Stanford University) Behavioral Ecology 27 3 865 875 |
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HighWire Press (Stanford University) |
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fthighwire |
language |
English |
topic |
Original Article |
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Original Article Akesson, Susanne Bianco, Giuseppe Assessing vector navigation in long-distance migrating birds |
topic_facet |
Original Article |
description |
Birds migrating between distant locations regularly perform long continuous flights lasting several days. What compass mechanism they use is still a mystery. Here, we use a novel approach, applying an individual-based model, taking compass mechanisms based on celestial and geomagnetic information and wind into account simultaneously, to investigate what compass mechanism likely is used during long continuous flights and how wind drift or compensation affects the resulting tracks. We found that for the 6 cases of long continuous migration flights, the magnetoclinic route could best explain the route selection in all except one case compared with the alternative compass mechanisms. A flight strategy correcting for wind drift resulted most often in routes ending up closest to the predicted destinations. In only half of the cases could a time-compensated sun compass explain the migration routes observed with sufficient precision. Migration from Europe to the Siberian tundra was especially challenging to explain by one compass mechanism alone, suggesting a more complex navigation strategy. Our results speak in favor of a magnetic compass based on the angle of inclination used by birds during continuous long-distance migration flights, but also a capacity to detect and correct for drift caused by winds along the route. |
format |
Text |
author |
Akesson, Susanne Bianco, Giuseppe |
author_facet |
Akesson, Susanne Bianco, Giuseppe |
author_sort |
Akesson, Susanne |
title |
Assessing vector navigation in long-distance migrating birds |
title_short |
Assessing vector navigation in long-distance migrating birds |
title_full |
Assessing vector navigation in long-distance migrating birds |
title_fullStr |
Assessing vector navigation in long-distance migrating birds |
title_full_unstemmed |
Assessing vector navigation in long-distance migrating birds |
title_sort |
assessing vector navigation in long-distance migrating birds |
publisher |
Oxford University Press |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/27/3/865 https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arv231 |
genre |
Tundra |
genre_facet |
Tundra |
op_relation |
http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/27/3/865 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arv231 |
op_rights |
Copyright (C) 2016, International Society for Behavioral Ecology |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arv231 |
container_title |
Behavioral Ecology |
container_volume |
27 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
865 |
op_container_end_page |
875 |
_version_ |
1766229798119538688 |