Investigating the impact of weak geomagnetic fluctuations on pigeon races

Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology · 2022 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 945

Across about 289 pigeon races over 15 years, the analysis suggested slight negative correlations between geomagnetic fluctuations (specific geomagnetic indices) and homing time. The authors note the interpretation is manifold and not clear, but suggest natura…

Study snapshot

PublicationJournal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology · 2022

Study typeother

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Investigating the impact of weak geomagnetic fluctuations on pigeon races Petr Jandačka, Hynek Burda, Jiří Ščučka. Investigating the impact of weak geomagnetic fluctuations on pigeon races. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2022 Jan 28.doi: 10.1007/s00359-021-01534-x. Abstract The existence of avian magnetic orientation has been proved by many experimental studies, however, evidence for the use of magnetic cues by homing pigeons remains controversial. To investigate magnetic orientation by homing pigeons, we analyzed the results of pigeon races relative to weak fluctuations in the geomagnetic field, assuming that such disturbances could impact navigational efficiency if based on magnetoreception. Whereas most of the previous studies recorded and analyzed vanishing bearing of individually released pigeons, we evaluated relative duration of the homeward flight (homing speed, as a proxy of navigational efficiency) and its dependence on specific geomagnetic indices in racing pigeons released collectively. Our analysis of orientation efficiency of about 289 pigeon races over 15 years suggested slight negative correlations between geomagnetic fluctuations and homing time. Although the interpretation of this finding is manifold and not clear, it suggests that natural magnetic variations or disturbances can affect the homing orientation performance of pigeons. We suggest that studying pigeon races may have a heuristic potential and since these races are regularly and frequently organized in many countries all over the globe, examining homing performance relative to a suite of environmental variables may be useful for exploring hypotheses about pigeon navigation. 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 typeother

Effect directionmixed

Populationracing homing pigeons

Sample size289

Exposure~15 years (race results analyzed)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

homeward flight duration (homing time)
homing speed (proxy of navigational efficiency)

Limitations

Observational/retrospective analysis of race results (not an experiment)
Correlations described as slight
Interpretation stated as not clear/manifold
Exposure characterized via geomagnetic indices; specific indices and effect sizes not provided in the abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "other",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "geomagnetic field fluctuations",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "~15 years (race results analyzed)"
  },
  "population": "racing homing pigeons",
  "sample_size": 289,
  "outcomes": [
    "homeward flight duration (homing time)",
    "homing speed (proxy of navigational efficiency)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Across about 289 pigeon races over 15 years, the analysis suggested slight negative correlations between geomagnetic fluctuations (specific geomagnetic indices) and homing time. The authors note the interpretation is manifold and not clear, but suggest natural magnetic variations/disturbances can affect homing orientation performance.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Observational/retrospective analysis of race results (not an experiment)",
    "Correlations described as slight",
    "Interpretation stated as not clear/manifold",
    "Exposure characterized via geomagnetic indices; specific indices and effect sizes not provided in the abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "geomagnetic fluctuations",
    "magnetoreception",
    "homing pigeons",
    "pigeon races",
    "navigation",
    "homing speed",
    "geomagnetic indices"
  ],
  "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: 10.1007/s00359-021-01534-x
PubMed: 35088124

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