Behavioral and Neural Mechanisms of Homing and Migration in Birds

The extraordinary navigational ability of birds has fascinated natural historians for as long as animal behavior has been of interest. Successful navigation in birds is based first on an ability to determine directions in space (compass sense), relying on the sun, stars and earth's magnetic field. This compass sense promotes the development of an ability to determine relative location in space (map sense), which, depending on distance to a goal, exploits predictable variation in the spatial properties of visual landmarks, atmospheric odors and perhaps the earth's magnetic field. The hippocampus of birds is a brain region particularly well suited for implementing navigation based on the map-like representation of familiar landmarks. The experimental study of spatial cognition nurtures a revitalized comparative psychology that encourages the expression of species typical behavior accompanied by research into supporting neural mechanisms. Chapter Outline & Navigation