Avian navigation and geographic positioning

作者：Deutschlander Mark E^*; Beason Robert C

来源：Journal of Field Ornithology, 2014, 85(2): 111-133.

DOI：10.1111/jofo.12055

• map-based navigation
• migration
• orientation
• passerines
• sensory cues

Site fidelity to breeding and wintering grounds, and even stopover sites, suggests that passerines are capable of accurate navigation during their annual migrations. Geolocator-based studies are beginning to demonstrate precise population-specific migratory routes and even some interannual consistency in individual routes. Displacement studies of birds have shown that at least adult birds are capable of goal-oriented movements, likely involving some type of map or geographic position system. In contrast, juveniles on their first migration use a clock-and-compass orientation strategy, with limited knowledge about locations along their migratory routes. Positioning information could come from a variety of cues including visual, olfactory, acoustic, and geomagnetic sources. How information from these systems is integrated and used for avian navigation has yet to be fully articulated. In this review, we (1) define geographic positioning and distinguish the types of navigational strategies that birds could use for orientation, (2) describe sensory cues available to birds for geographic positioning, (3) review the evidence for geographic positioning in birds and methods used to collect that evidence, and (4) discuss ways ornithologists, particularly field ornithologists, can contribute to and advance our knowledge of the navigational abilities of birds. Few studies of avian orientation and navigation mechanisms have been conducted in the Western Hemisphere. To fully understand migratory systems in the Western Hemisphere and develop better conservation policies, information about the orientation and navigation mechanisms used by specific species needs to be integrated with other aspects of their migration ecology and biology.

• 出版日期2014-6