Abstract
Experienced non-resident homing pigeons that are housed in deflector lofts for as little as seven days (i.e. “short-term” residence) show upon release a deflection of initial orientation in the direction predicted by the olfactory theory of homing. This effect, however, is confined to the summer months, disappearing after August 31. Altered deflector panels, which reverse the direction in which reflected light cues are rotated while leaving wind rotation unchanged, reverse the deflection of initial orientation. A model is proposed to explain these results in which the deflector lofts rotate a light-based reference system (derived from polarized light patterns present at sunrise and sunset) which is then used by the birds to calibrate their sun compass.
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© 1982 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Phillips, J.B., Waldvogel, J.A. (1982). Reflected Light Cues Generate the Short-Term Deflector-Loft Effect. In: Papi, F., Wallraff, H.G. (eds) Avian Navigation. Proceedings in Life Sciences. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68616-0_19
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68616-0_19
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