Clues to how birds migrate using Earth’s magnetic field
The mystery of how birds migrate long distances over land and sea is a step closer to being cracked.
By studying robins, scientists have found clues to how birds sense the Earth’s magnetic field.
Just as you might reach for a magnetic compass to find which way is north or south, birds are thought to have an in-built “living compass”.
A chemical in the eye that is sensitive to magnetism could be proof of this theory, according to a new study.
Peter Hore, professor of chemistry at the University of Oxford, said it could be that birds can “see” the Earth’s magnetic field, although we don’t know that for sure.
“We think we may have identified the molecule that allows small migratory songbirds to detect the direction of the Earth’s magnetic field, which they undoubtedly can do, and use that information to help them navigate when they migrate thousands of kilometres,” he told BBC News.
By Helen Briggs
BBC Science correspondent
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