Migratory birds use a magnetic
compass in their eye for navigation. The involved sensory mechanisms have long
remained elusive, but now, researchers have revealed exactly where in the eye
avian navigation is situated.
Migratory birds travel long distances when
they shift between breeding and wintering grounds. Observations of migrating
birds were first recorded by ancient Greeks more than 3,000 years ago, and it
has long been a mystery how they find their way when embarking on thousands of
kilometers long journeys.
In 2000, researchers suggested
that a protein in birds' eyes helps them take information from light and
process it to a travel course—an inner magnetic compass. Since then, the basic
sensory mechanisms underlying this magnetoreception have remained elusive. In
order to solve the riddle, a research group at University of Southern Denmark
collaborated with colleagues from the University in Oldenburg, Germany.
The team conducted a series of
studies and simulations that reveal the detailed position and nature of the
inner compass. They studied the navigational sensory mode of European robins (Erithacus rubecula) via computer
microscopy of birds' eyes. "We believe that we have strong evidence to
pinpoint the right magnetoreceptor molecule in migratory birds,"
said Ilia Solov'yov, associate professor at the University of Southern Denmark.
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