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- Title
Navigational strategies of homing pigeons at familiar sites: do landmarks reduce the deflections induced by clock-shifting?
- Authors
Wiltschko, Roswitha; Siegmund, Bettina; Stapput, Katrin
- Abstract
To analyze the navigational strategy of homing pigeons at familiar sites in view of a possible role of local landmarks, two groups of pigeons—one familiar to the release site, the other unfamiliar—were released with their internal clock shifted 6 h fast, with untreated birds of both groups serving as controls. The two groups showed median deflections of 67% and 57%, respectively, of the expected size, with no consistent difference in the size of the deflection between familiar and unfamiliar birds. This clearly shows that familiarity with the release site and with the local landscape features does not affect the size of the deflections induced by clock-shifting. Obviously, pigeons familiar with the release site do not change their navigational strategy, but still continue to determine their home course solely as a compass course. General problems with orientation by landmarks are discussed; however, landmarks may help birds to recognize a site and recall the respective course.
- Subjects
HOMING pigeons; BIRD navigation; ANIMAL navigation; ANIMAL homing; BIRD flight
- Publication
Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology, 2005, Vol 59, Issue 2, p303
- ISSN
0340-5443
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00265-005-0043-6