Avian navigation and geographic positioning

Abstract

Site fidelity to breeding and wintering grounds, and even stopover sites, suggests that passerines are capable of accurate navigation during their annual migrations. Geolocator‐based studies are beginning to demonstrate precise population‐specific migratory routes and even some interannual consistency in individual routes. Displacement studies of birds have shown that at least adult birds are capable of goal‐oriented movements, likely involving some type of map or geographic position system. In contrast, juveniles on their first migration use a clock‐and‐compass orientation strategy, with limited knowledge about locations along their migratory routes. Positioning information could come from a variety of cues including visual, olfactory, acoustic, and geomagnetic sources. How information from these systems is integrated and used for avian navigation has yet to be fully articulated. In this review, we (1) define geographic positioning and distinguish the types of navigational strategies that birds could use for orientation, (2) describe sensory cues available to birds for geographic positioning, (3) review the evidence for geographic positioning in birds and methods used to collect that evidence, and (4) discuss ways ornithologists, particularly field ornithologists, can contribute to and advance our knowledge of the navigational abilities of birds. Few studies of avian orientation and navigation mechanisms have been conducted in the Western Hemisphere. To fully understand migratory systems in the Western Hemisphere and develop better conservation policies, information about the orientation and navigation mechanisms used by specific species needs to be integrated with other aspects of their migration ecology and biology.

Fusion of wildlife tracking and satellite geomagnetic data for the study of animal migration

“…Long-distance migratory navigation consists of two parts, determining the direction of movement (through compass orientation) and geographic positioning, that is, knowing where the animal is located at a specific time [ 1 ]. Both these mechanisms support the so-called true navigation, which is defined as finding the way to a far away unknown location using only cues available locally [ 2 ].…”

Antibiotics affect migratory restlessness orientation

“…Using memory, timing and external cues, organisms move deliberately and reach their designated destination. Any non-random environmental feature is a candidate for use in orientation, from chemical cues [1,2], and visual characteristics of the environment [3,4] to movement of celestial bodies [5] and seismic signals [6]. In most cases, a combination of such signals is used [7].…”

Full Issue

“…contributed substantial materials, resources, and funding.Seasonal variation in CREB expression in the hippocampal formation of first-year migratory songbirds: Implications for the role of memory during migration INTRODUCTION By integrating global and local cues with stored (genetically coded and learned) information, migrants successfully travel across continents and arrive at their breeding and wintering quarters with high accuracy(Berthold 2001). While we have extensive knowledge about the navigational cues used by a migrant to find the appropriate direction (Åkesson and Hedenström 2007,Wiltschko and Wiltschko 2012, Deutschlander and Beason 2014, Holland 2014, we are far from understanding how important en route learning is in meeting the challenges of long-distance migration(Alerstam 2006, Németh and.…”