Birds Can "See" Earth's Magnetic Field

Garden Warbler Close-up
Originally uploaded by Steve_C

I've always wondered about how birds could migrate over long distances traveling thousands of miles every year back and forth between their nesting sites and breeding grounds so accurately.

Recent research has shown that earth's magnetism may have some important role to play in helping birds set their internal compass.

National Geographic's article reports,

Scientists already suspected birds' eyes contain molecules that are thought to sense Earth's magnetic field. In a new study, German researchers found that these molecules are linked to an area of the brain known to process visual information.
In that sense, "birds may see the magnetic field," said study lead author Dominik Heyers, a biologist at the University of Oldenburg.

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(Image by Steve_C)