An experimental group of homing pigeons (Columba livia f. domestica) learned to associate food with a magnetic anomaly produced by bar magnets that were fixed to the bowl in which they received their daily food ration in their home loft; the control group lacked this experience. Both groups were trained to search for two hidden food depots in a rectangular sand-filled arena without obvious visual cues; for the experimental birds, these depots were also marked with three 1.15∈×∈106 μT bar magnets. During the tests, there were two food depots, one marked with the magnets, the other unmarked; their position within the arena was changed from test to test. The experimental birds searched within 10 cm of the magnetically marked depot in 49% of the test sessions, whereas the control birds searched there in only 11% of the sessions. Both groups searched near the control depot in 11 and 13% of the sessions, respectively. The significant preference of the magnetically marked food depot by the experimental birds shows that homing pigeons cannot only detect a magnetic anomaly but can also use it as a cue for locating hidden food in an open arena. © 2007 Springer-Verlag.
CITATION STYLE
Thalau, P., Holtkamp-Rötzler, E., Fleissner, G., & Wiltschko, W. (2007). Homing pigeons (Columba livia f. domestica) can use magnetic cues for locating food. Naturwissenschaften, 94(10), 813–819. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-007-0259-6
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