Birds "see" magnetic field
Not only do molecules in birds's eyes enable them to sense the Earth's magnetic field, but the nerve fibers lead to a region of the brain responsible for processing visual information, scientists report. According to University of Oldenburg biologist Dominik Heyers, "birds may see the magnetic field" to orient themselves. The new study suggests that this magnetic "vision" is a key part of how migratory birds move from place to place. Other researchers posit that birds use other magnetic senses or even the stars to determine their present location. From National Geographic:
Previously on BB:
• Implant gives man the sense of "magnetic vision" Link
"The magnetic field or magnetic direction may be perceived as a dark or light spot which lies upon the normal visual field of the bird," Heyers said, "and which, of course, changes when the bird turns its head..."Link
"An animal that has to migrate over great distances needs to have both a compass and a map," said Cordula Mora, a biologist who recently completed her postdoctoral research at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Mora's work suggests that birds may use magnetic crystals in their beaks to sense the intensity of the magnetic field and thus glean information on their physical location.
Previously on BB:
• Implant gives man the sense of "magnetic vision" Link
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so is that why the always hit my window when I watch tv scarring the crap out of me?
As someone with a magnetic implant I'll confirm that the magnetic perception totally integrates into existing senses. I don't see magnetic fields literally because it's just a vibrating magnet in my fingertip, but I feel both the form of EM fields, their strength, and the way they move (different types of fields have a different "texture" because they vibrate differently). In my mind they're effectively physical objects and when I close my eyes, I definitely see/imagine them there as I touched them... I'd be very surprised if birds' perception wasn't similarly integrated.
An animal that has to migrate over great distances needs to have both a compass and a map
How sad is it that my first response to this sentence was "Yep. Just like Link in a dungeon."
(Da da da DAAAAA!)
It's your fault, Not a Doktor.
The magnetic field from your TV set makes your window look like a welcoming, magical bird's nest.
Can someone ban this Phenom guy or something? He keeps making junk comments as an excuse to spam links to his blogspot page.
birds don't see the magnetic field, that is something like a metaphor for what they see.... they see the subtle energy field of the earth, in sanskrit, the sukshma sharira.... what we call the magnetic field is like the skin of an orange and doesn't have much in common with the fruit... we perhaps need a few more Rupert Sheldrakes to bring this into the arena of "science"
Saw this some years ago and it stuck in my memory
http://archives.stupidquestion.net/sq22102carrierpigeons.html
"In experiments in which pigeons were fitted with frosted goggles that admitted only diffuse light and released 100 miles from home, most were able to navigate to within a quarter-mile of their loft. This suggests that regular vision is important in finding the exact loft, but that something else is involved in the long-distance journey."
I like the idea of manufacturing goggles for pigeons. I could do that.
Now if I can just train my parrot to say "Turn right after 200 meters" I'd have my very own organic GPS system.
Oh come on. Birds don't travel great distances for some funky metaphysical reason. They go south for the winter because they have to follow the insects and they return because they are doing the same come springtime. If birds were some kind of freaky, beak-magneted, ghandi sandskrit surfers they would fly by night. I don't know about you, but even on a full moon I don't see flocks of migratory birds hovering in the night sky. Bats yes. Birds no.
Birds see light, just like we do. Hence their long, tiresome migration in the middle of the day. I realize birds may not have a longterm, or genetic memory, but might they not have a seasonal one? Or is it just common sense to follow your food supply?