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Magnetic stop signs signal a European songbird's arrival at the breeding site after migration

Science (New York, N.Y.) · 2022 · Unclear · Low evidence

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UnclearLow evidencePaper 944

Using nearly a century of ringing recoveries, the authors report that fluctuations in Earth's magnetic field predict variation in the sites to which Eurasian reed warblers return. The recoveries suggest magnetic inclination is learned before departure and lat…

Study snapshot

PublicationScience (New York, N.Y.) · 2022
Study typeecological
Reported directionUnclear
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Magnetic stop signs signal a European songbird's arrival at the breeding site after migration Joe Wynn, Oliver Padget, Henrik Mouritsen, Joe Morford, Paris Jaggers, Tim Guilford. Magnetic stop signs signal a European songbird's arrival at the breeding site after migration. Science. 2022 Jan 28;375(6579):446-449. doi: 10.1126/science.abj4210. Abstract Although it is known that birds can return to their breeding grounds with exceptional precision, it has remained a mystery how they know when and where to stop migrating. Using nearly a century's worth of Eurasian reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) ringing recoveries, we investigated whether fluctuations in Earth's magnetic field predict variation in the sites to which birds return. Ringing recoveries suggest that magnetic inclination is learned before departure and is subsequently used as a uni-coordinate "stop sign" when relocating the natal or breeding site. However, many locations have the same inclination angle. Data from populations with different migratory directions indicate that birds solve this ambiguity by stopping at the first place where the right inclination is encountered on an inherited return vector. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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 typeecological
Effect directionunclear
PopulationEurasian reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus)
Sample sizeNot supplied
ExposureNot supplied
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Using nearly a century of ringing recoveries, the authors report that fluctuations in Earth's magnetic field predict variation in the sites to which Eurasian reed warblers return. The recoveries suggest magnetic inclination is learned before departure and later used as a uni-coordinate "stop sign" to relocate natal or breeding sites, with ambiguity resolved by stopping at the first location with the correct inclination encountered along an inherited return vector.

Outcomes measured

  • Variation in return (natal/breeding) sites in relation to fluctuations in Earth's magnetic field
  • Use of magnetic inclination as a learned cue for stopping migration

Limitations

  • Observational inference from ringing recoveries; causal mechanisms not directly tested in the abstract
  • Sample size and exposure quantification details not provided in the abstract
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "ecological",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "Earth's magnetic field",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "Eurasian reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Variation in return (natal/breeding) sites in relation to fluctuations in Earth's magnetic field",
    "Use of magnetic inclination as a learned cue for stopping migration"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Using nearly a century of ringing recoveries, the authors report that fluctuations in Earth's magnetic field predict variation in the sites to which Eurasian reed warblers return. The recoveries suggest magnetic inclination is learned before departure and later used as a uni-coordinate \"stop sign\" to relocate natal or breeding sites, with ambiguity resolved by stopping at the first location with the correct inclination encountered along an inherited return vector.",
  "effect_direction": "unclear",
  "limitations": [
    "Observational inference from ringing recoveries; causal mechanisms not directly tested in the abstract",
    "Sample size and exposure quantification details not provided in the abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "Earth's magnetic field",
    "magnetic inclination",
    "migration",
    "ringing recoveries",
    "Eurasian reed warbler",
    "navigation",
    "breeding site"
  ],
  "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: 10.1126/science.abj4210
PubMed: 35084979

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