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Pigeon Homing: The Navigational Map Developed in Adulthood is Based on Olfactory Information
Author(s) -
Ioalè Paolo,
Savini Maria,
Gagliardo Anna
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
ethology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.739
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1439-0310
pISSN - 0179-1613
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01438.x
Subject(s) - homing (biology) , pilotage , communication , olfactory cues , cartography , olfaction , geography , artificial intelligence , biology , computer science , psychology , ecology , art , humanities
Homing pigeons raised in a shielded aviary and kept confined until the day of the test releases are not able to navigate even if, once adult, the screens are removed and the birds are exposed to natural winds for a sufficiently long period for map learning. However, pigeons raised in the same condition but, once adult, allowed to perform spontaneous flights around the loft are able to develop navigational abilities which, however, never reach the level of controls. In the present study, we show that the navigational map learned by the adult birds, which had the possibility to perform spontaneous flights, is based on olfactory information.