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Light-dependent magnetoreception in birds
Birds have a light-dependent magnetic compass which they use to orient during migration and very likely also in their daily life. This compass is thought to be located in specialized, magnetosensitive photoreceptors in the eyes, enabling the birds to perceive the Earth’s magnetic field as a three-dimensional pattern of light irradiance or colour variation superimposed on their visual field. Cryptochromes have been proposed as likely candidates for such magnetoreceptor molecules, but the actual receptors have not yet been conclusively identified and located in birds, thus the question how birds can perceive magnetic compass information remains one of the big mysteries in sensory biology!
Our goal is to describe in more detail how the magnetic compass in the birds’ eyes is functioning by testing the orientation of migratory birds in funnel experiments under various light and/or magnetic field conditions. Recently, we have started to train birds to use directional magnetic cues to locate a hidden food source in a maze, allowing us to study magnetic orientation also in non-migratory birds.
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Publisher: Department of Biology
Last modified 21 Oct 2011
