Image
courtesy of Ffrancis C. Franklin Cc-By-Sa-3.0.,
Joel Kontinen
Migrating Birds
use the Earth’s magnetic field to fly were they could. The system relies on a
moleculte in their eyes called cryptochrome 4 that is sensitive to magnetism and
thus giving the animals an internal compass.
“The process may result in the animals seeing darker
or lighter areas in their vision when they look in the direction of magnetic
field lines, says Henrik Mouritsen at the University of
Oldenburg in Germany.”
“Previous work has shown that certain species of
birds, such as the European robin (Erithacus rubecula), use Earth’s magnetic fields when they migrate, as
well as using visual and other cues.”
Source:
Wilson, Clare. 2021. We may finally know how
migrating birds sense Earth's magnetic field. New Scientist 23 June.
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