Birds Can "See" Earth's Magnetic Field
Yesterday I saw my first Dark-eyed Junco of fall. With migration being fairly steady throughout the night, there are sure to be more this morning. Many readers sent me the following story, which is pretty interesting stuff:
Birds Can "See" Earth's Magnetic Field
"Scientists already suspected birds' eyes contain molecules that are thought to sense Earth's magnetic field. In a new study, German researchers found that these molecules are linked to an area of the brain known to process visual information. In that sense, "birds may see the magnetic field," said study lead author Dominik Heyers, a biologist at the University of Oldenburg."
Link: Full article from National Geographic
Dark-eyed Junco © 2007 Mike McDowell
posted by Mike McDowell @ 3:01 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Interesting that you just saw your first Junco of the fall. On Monday, Sept 24, I heard my first DE Juncos, several of them in a 4-hour outing. I live in New Brunswick, Canada. The migration pattern must be the same across the continent.
Mike, Interesting Article. I would go along with the birds following the star/moon changes in the night sky. Or maybe they have a small inserted gpsr in them. ;) Thanks for sharing. Have a successful birding weekend too! Carol
Glad to see these little guys back. I don't know what exactly makes them come, I'm just glad to watch them.
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