The visual fields of Common Guillemots <i>Uria aalge</i> and Atlantic Puffins <i>Fratercula arctica</i>: foraging, vigilance and collision vulnerability

Martin, Graham R.; Wanless, Sarah

doi:10.1111/ibi.12297

Cited by 16 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 28 publications

(79 reference statements)

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“…Small‐scale differences in visual fields, including the degree of binocularity, are evident both between and within bird taxa, depending on the extent to which vision is used for foraging (Guillemain et al . , Martin & Wanless , Portugal et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…). For example, the larger binocular overlap in Atlantic Puffins Fratercula artica (49°) compared with Common Guillemots Uria aalge (25°) may explain the high proportion of relatively small prey taken outside the breeding season (mostly crustaceans) in Puffins, which requires more precise bill positioning (Martin & Wanless ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In birds, binocularity is thought to function primarily in the detection of symmetrically expanding optic flow-fields that provide almost instantaneous information on direction of travel and time-to-contact a target (Martin 2009, Martin & Portugal 2011. Small-scale differences in visual fields, including the degree of binocularity, are evident both between and within bird taxa, depending on the extent to which vision is used for foraging (Guillemain et al 2002, Martin & Wanless 2015, Portugal et al 2017. For example, the larger binocular overlap in Atlantic Puffins Fratercula artica (49°) compared with Common Guillemots Uria aalge (25°) may explain the high proportion of relatively small prey taken outside the breeding season (mostly crustaceans) in Puffins, which requires more precise bill positioning (Martin & Wanless 2015).…”

Section: Visual Fieldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Visual configuration of two species of Falconidae with different foraging ecologies

Potier

Bonadonna

Martin

et al. 2017

Ibis

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Significant interspecific differences in avian vision occur, even in congeneric species, and these have been correlated with differences in the perceptual challenges associated with foraging. Although diurnal raptors are assumed to be mainly visually guided in their foraging, they differ markedly in their foraging tactics and this may result in different visual demands. Among the Falconidae (Falconiformes), most falcons forage mainly on the wing for highly mobile prey, whereas caracaras forage on the ground for carrion and insects. We assessed whether Saker Falcon Falco cherrug and Southern Caracara Caracara plancus differ in their visual abilities by determining the visual fields and foveal characteristics of both species. Using an ophthalmoscopic reflex technique, we found a higher degree of binocular overlap in the caracaras than in the falcons. The high binocular overlap (47°) of the Southern Caracara may facilitate object manipulation (e.g. moving rocks) when foraging. We used an ultra‐high resolution spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography to determine foveal characteristics. We found two foveas (depressions in the retina where high visual resolution is expected) in the falcons (one central and one temporal) but only a central fovea in the caracaras. The presence of a shallower temporal fovea in Saker Falcons may help to fixate visually upon a highly mobile prey item during pursuit. We conclude that these differences in visual field configurations and foveal characteristics reflect different foraging demands, suggesting that the extraction of visual information is finely tuned to the demands of their foraging tactics.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Visual Fieldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Visual configuration of two species of Falconidae with different foraging ecologies

Potier

Bonadonna

Martin

et al. 2017

Ibis

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“…This technique has been consistently applied across more than 60 bird species (Martin 2017a) and provides a reliable method for interspecific comparisons of visual field topography across birds with different foraging ecologies and phylogenies (Martin 2007). The procedure has been described elsewhere , Martin & Piersma 2009, Martin & Portugal 2011, Martin & Wanless 2015. The procedure has been described elsewhere , Martin & Piersma 2009, Martin & Portugal 2011, Martin & Wanless 2015.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This shared frontal binocular field topography (with the bill placed at or below the centre) occurs across species that vary in their foraging behaviour and evolutionary background (Martin 2014): those that peck at food items, e.g. Common Guillemots Uria aalge (Martin & Wanless 2015) and Great Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo (Martin et al 2008); those that require precision-grasping for the manipulation of food in the bill, e.g. fish) for capture in the bill, e.g.…”

Section: General Characteristics Of the Visual Fieldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visual fields and foraging ecology of Blacksmith Lapwings Vanellus armatus

Cantlay

Portugal

Martin

2019

Ibis

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The visual fields of Blacksmith Lapwings Vanellus armatus show the characteristics of visual guided foragers that use precision pecking for prey capture – a binocular field of narrow width and limited vertical extent, with the projection of the bill close to its centre and a large blind area above and behind the head. The topography of the total field, particularly the binocular field, is similar to that of European Golden Plovers Pluvialis apricaria. We suggest that the ‘foot‐trembling’ behaviour associated with foraging in Plovers is not under visual guidance but forces the escape of hidden prey, which is detected when the prey item moves into the binocular field to enable its capture in the bill. Foot‐trembling thus functions to extend the effective foraging area of a bird beyond the limits of its visual field.

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A seabird’s eye view: visual fields of some seabirds (Laridae and Procellariidae) from tropical latitudes

Lucas,

Martin,

Rocamora

et al. 2024

Sci Nat

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The visual field of a bird defines the amount of information that can be extracted from the environment around it, using the eyes. Previous visual field research has left large phylogenetic gaps, where tropical bird species have been comparatively understudied. Using the ophthalmoscopic technique, we measured the visual fields of seven tropical seabird species, to understand what are the primary determinants of their visual fields. The visual field topographies of the seven seabird species were relatively similar, despite the two groups of Terns (Laridae) and Shearwaters (Procellariidae) being phylogenetically distant. We propose this similarity is due to their largely similar foraging ecology. These findings support previous research that foraging ecology rather than relatedness is the key determining factor behind a bird’s visual field topography. Some bird species were identified to have more limited binocular fields, such as Brown Noddies (Anous stolidus) where binocularity onsets lower down within the visual field, resulting in a larger blind area about the head.

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The visual fields of Common Guillemots Uria aalge and Atlantic Puffins Fratercula arctica: foraging, vigilance and collision vulnerability

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Cited by 16 publications

References 28 publications

Visual configuration of two species of Falconidae with different foraging ecologies

Visual configuration of two species of Falconidae with different foraging ecologies

Visual fields and foraging ecology of Blacksmith Lapwings Vanellus armatus

A seabird’s eye view: visual fields of some seabirds (Laridae and Procellariidae) from tropical latitudes

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