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Anosmic migrating songbirds demonstrate a compensatory response following long-distance translocation: a radio-tracking study

Kishkinev, Dmitry; Anashina, Anna; Ishchenko, Ilya; Holland, Richard A.

Anosmic migrating songbirds demonstrate a compensatory response following long-distance translocation: a radio-tracking study Thumbnail


Authors

Anna Anashina

Ilya Ishchenko

Richard A. Holland



Abstract

Several studies have shown that experienced night-migratory songbirds can determine their position, but it has remained a mystery which cues and sensory mechanisms they use, in particular, those used to determine longitude (east–west position). One potential solution would be to use a magnetic map or signpost mechanism like the one documented in sea turtles. Night-migratory songbirds have a magnetic compass in their eyes and a second magnetic sense with unknown biological function involving the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve (V1). Could V1 be involved in determining east–west position? We displaced 57 Eurasian reed warblers (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) with or without sectioned V1. Sham operated birds corrected their orientation towards the breeding area after displacement like the untreated controls did. In contrast, V1-sectioned birds did not correct for the displacement. They oriented in the same direction after the displacement as they had done at the capture site. Thus, an intact ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve is necessary for detecting the 1,000 km eastward displacement in this night-migratory songbird. Our results suggest that V1 carries map-related information used in a large-scale map or signpost sense that the reed warblers needed to determine their approximate geographical position and/or an east–west coordinate.

Acceptance Date Jul 23, 2019
Publication Date Aug 6, 2019
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Journal of Ornithology
Print ISSN 2193-7192
Publisher Springer
DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-019-01698-z
Keywords Bird navigation · Eurasian Reed Warblers · Olfactory map hypothesis · Anosmia · Zinc sulfate · Automated
radio-tracking · Radio telemetry
Publisher URL http://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-019-01698-z

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