Orientation of the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca: cue-conflict experiments during spring migration

Gaggini, Valentina; Baldaccini, Natale Emilio; Spina, Fernando; Giunchi, Dimitri

doi:10.1007/s00265-010-0948-6

Cited by 17 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…Our study is in agreement with a number of recent studies that did not find an effect of cue conflict exposures on the orientation of the corresponding study species (Wiltschko et al, 2008a;Wiltschko et al, 2008b;Gaggini et al, 2010;Chernetsov et al, 2011; but see Muheim et al, 2008). Similar to our study, the authors reported no compass calibration, but instead a simple domination of magnetic or stellar cues over the sunset cues (Chernetsov et al, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

“…The polarization pattern during twilight has been proposed as a candidate cue for the key reference system against which the other compass systems are calibrated (Muheim et al, 2006b;Muheim et al, 2007;Muheim et al, 2008). However, it remains unclear how universal this calibration strategy is (Wiltschko et al, 2008a;Wiltschko et al, 2008b;Gaggini et al, 2010;Chernetsov et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Response of a free-flying songbird to an experimental shift of the light polarization pattern around sunset

Schmaljohann

Rautenberg

Muheim

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYThe magnetic field, the sun, the stars and the polarization pattern of visible light during twilight are important cues for orientation in nocturnally migrating songbirds. As these cues change with time and location on Earth, the polarization pattern was put forward as a likely key reference system calibrating the other compass systems. Whether this applies generally to migratory birds is, however, controversially discussed. We used an experimental approach in free-flying birds to study the role of polarization for their departure direction in autumn. Experimental birds experienced a 90deg shift of the band of maximum polarization during sunset, whereas control birds experienced the polarization pattern as under natural conditions. Full view of the sunset cues near the horizon was provided during the cue conflict exposure. Here we show that both the experimental and the control birds being released after nautical twilight departed consistently towards south-southeast. Radiotelemetry allowed tracking of the first 15km of the birdsʼ outward journey, thus the intrinsic migration direction as chosen by the birds was measured. We found no recalibration of the magnetic compass after pre-exposure to a cue conflict between the natural magnetic field and the artificially shifted polarization pattern at sunset. The lacking difference in the departure direction of both groups may suggest that birds did not recalibrate any of the compass systems during the experiment. As free-flying migrants can use all available orientation cues after release, it remains unknown whether our birds might have used the magnetic and/or star compass to determine their departure direction.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of a free-flying songbird to an experimental shift of the light polarization pattern around sunset

Schmaljohann

Rautenberg

Muheim

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…The 95% confidence intervals of the mean vanishing directions shown by song thrushes following magnetic treatment did not include the mean direction of the control birds deflected by 120deg either clockwise or counterclockswise that would be expected if the birds calibrate their compasses (Fig.1A,C). Therefore, the hypothesis that song thrushes, like other free-flying nocturnal songbird migrants tested so far, calibrate their magnetic compass from celestial twilight cues (Cochran et al, 2004;Muheim et al, 2006b;Muheim et al, 2007;Muheim et al, 2009) is not supported; instead, the hypothesis of the magnetic (Wiltschko et al, 2008;Gaggini et al, 2010) or stellar compass dominating is confirmed.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Simple domination of the magnetic or celestial compass has been found in some orientation cage studies (Wiltschko et al, 2008;Gaggini et al, 2010), whereas different variants of cue calibration have been reported both from the few experiments with free-flying migrants (Cochran et al, 2004;Sandberg and Moore, 1996;Sandberg et al, 2000) and from cage-based tests (Muheim et al, 2006b). It has been suggested that celestial information is given the greatest salience during the pre-migratory period, so it calibrates geomagnetic information in cue conflict, whereas the geomagnetic compass calibrates celestial cues during migration (Wiltschko et al, 1997;).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study has been welcomed and repeatedly cited because of its clear-cut design and conclusions. Results similar to these (Cochran et al, 2004) have recently been found for caged birds in some studies (Muheim et al, 2006b;Muheim et al, 2007;Muheim et al, 2009) but have not been confirmed in others (Wiltschko et al, 2008;Gaggini et al, 2010). Therefore, there is an obvious demand for more field-based cue conflict experiments on different bird migrant species, first, to validate lab-derived cue hierarchy hypotheses and second, to qualify the notion that all bird migrants use a common strategy of cue calibration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Not all songbirds calibrate their magnetic compass from twilight cues: a telemetry study

Chernetsov

Kishkinev

Kosarev

et al. 2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARY Migratory birds are able to use the sun and associated polarised light patterns, stellar cues and the geomagnetic field for orientation. No general agreement has been reached regarding the hierarchy of orientation cues. Recent data from naturally migrating North American Catharus thrushes suggests that they calibrate geomagnetic information daily from twilight cues. Similar results have been shown in caged birds in a few studies but not confirmed in others. We report that free-flying European migrants, song thrushes Turdus philomelos, released after pre-exposure to a horizontally rotated magnetic field, do not recalibrate their magnetic compass from solar cues, but rather show a simple domination of either the magnetic or the stellar compass. We suggest that different songbird species possess different hierarchies of orientation cues, depending on the geographic and ecological challenges met by the migrants.

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The Ecology of Polarisation Vision in Birds

Åkesson

2014

Polarized Light and Polarization Vision in Animal Sciences

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Orientation of the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca: cue-conflict experiments during spring migration

Cited by 17 publications

References 50 publications

Response of a free-flying songbird to an experimental shift of the light polarization pattern around sunset

Response of a free-flying songbird to an experimental shift of the light polarization pattern around sunset

Not all songbirds calibrate their magnetic compass from twilight cues: a telemetry study

The Ecology of Polarisation Vision in Birds

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