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How Do Pigeons Find Their Way Home? New Research Suggests the Birds' Remarkable Navigational Skills Come From Their Livers
Key takeaways
- Christian Ziegler / Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Pigeons are famous for their uncanny ability to return home, even after traveling long distances.
- The findings offer fresh insights into the potential mechanics of magnetoreception, or the ability to sense Earth’s magnetic field, which numerous animals use for long-distance travel.
- Researchers took cell samples from pigeons’ beaks, eyes, muscles, spleens and livers.
Christian Ziegler / Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Pigeons are famous for their uncanny ability to return home, even after traveling long distances. But how do they manage to accomplish this impressive navigational feat? Scientists say the answer might lie in their livers.
The birds might use the organ’s iron-rich immune cells as internal compasses on overcast days, when they must rely on Earth’s magnetic field, instead of the sun’s light cues, for navigation, researchers report in a study published on May 28 in the journal Science.
The findings offer fresh insights into the potential mechanics of magnetoreception, or the ability to sense Earth’s magnetic field, which numerous animals use for long-distance travel. Migratory birds, sea turtles, spiny lobsters, mole rats and gray whales are among the creatures scientists believe rely on this “sixth sense” for navigation.