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Geomagnetic disturbance associated with increased vagrancy in migratory landbirds

2023 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 610

Using capture data from ~2 million captures across 152 landbird species over 60 years, the authors report a strong association between disruption to the Earth's magnetic field (geomagnetic disturbance) and increased avian vagrancy during fall migration. They …

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2023
Study typecohort
Reported directionMixed
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Geomagnetic disturbance associated with increased vagrancy in migratory landbirds Tonelli BA, Youngflesh C, Tingley MW. Geomagnetic disturbance associated with increased vagrancy in migratory landbirds. Sci Rep. 2023 Jan 9;13(1):414. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-26586-0. Abstract Rare birds known as "accidentals" or "vagrants" have long captivated birdwatchers and puzzled biologists, but the drivers of these rare occurrences remain elusive. Errors in orientation or navigation are considered one potential driver: migratory birds use the Earth's magnetic field-sensed using specialized magnetoreceptor structures-to traverse long distances over often unfamiliar terrain. Disruption to these magnetoreceptors or to the magnetic field itself could potentially cause errors leading to vagrancy. Using data from 2 million captures of 152 landbird species in North America over 60 years, we demonstrate a strong association between disruption to the Earth's magnetic field and avian vagrancy during fall migration. Furthermore, we find that increased solar activity-a disruptor of the avian magnetoreceptor-generally counteracts this effect, potentially mitigating misorientation by disabling the ability for birds to use the magnetic field to orient. Our results link a hypothesized cause of misorientation to the phenomenon of avian vagrancy, further demonstrating the importance of magnetoreception among the orientation mechanisms of migratory birds. Geomagnetic disturbance may have important downstream ecological consequences, as vagrants may experience increased mortality rates or facilitate range expansions of avian populations and the organisms they disperse. Open access paper: nature.com

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typecohort
Effect directionmixed
PopulationMigratory landbirds (152 species) in North America
Sample size2000000
Exposurefall migration; data span 60 years
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Using capture data from ~2 million captures across 152 landbird species over 60 years, the authors report a strong association between disruption to the Earth's magnetic field (geomagnetic disturbance) and increased avian vagrancy during fall migration. They also report that increased solar activity generally counteracts this effect.

Outcomes measured

  • Avian vagrancy (occurrence of rare 'accidental'/'vagrant' birds) during fall migration

Limitations

  • Observational association; causality not established in abstract
  • Exposure metrics and vagrancy definition/measurement details not provided in abstract
  • Potential confounding factors not described in abstract
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "cohort",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "geomagnetic disturbance / solar activity (Earth's magnetic field disruption)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "fall migration; data span 60 years"
  },
  "population": "Migratory landbirds (152 species) in North America",
  "sample_size": 2000000,
  "outcomes": [
    "Avian vagrancy (occurrence of rare 'accidental'/'vagrant' birds) during fall migration"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Using capture data from ~2 million captures across 152 landbird species over 60 years, the authors report a strong association between disruption to the Earth's magnetic field (geomagnetic disturbance) and increased avian vagrancy during fall migration. They also report that increased solar activity generally counteracts this effect.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Observational association; causality not established in abstract",
    "Exposure metrics and vagrancy definition/measurement details not provided in abstract",
    "Potential confounding factors not described in abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "geomagnetic disturbance",
    "Earth's magnetic field",
    "magnetoreception",
    "solar activity",
    "migration",
    "landbirds",
    "vagrancy",
    "misorientation",
    "North America"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}
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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26586-0
PubMed: Not supplied

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