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Do Pigeons determine Latitudinal Displacement from the Sun's Altitude?

Nature volume 227, pages 626–627 (1970)Cite this article

Abstract

ONE of the principal hypotheses of pigeon navigation is that of Matthews1–3, and although many experiments seem to disprove it, Matthews himself has continued to defend his hypothesis4. He proposes that a bird observes the Sun's movement at the release site and compares its extrapolated path with the Sun's path it remembers from its home location. The difference in the noon altitude of the Sun at the two sites indicates the bird's latitudinal displacement, and the difference in local Sun time at the two sites indicates the longitudinal placement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14850

    WILLIAM T. KEETON

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  1. WILLIAM T. KEETON
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KEETON, W. Do Pigeons determine Latitudinal Displacement from the Sun's Altitude?. Nature 227, 626–627 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1038/227626a0

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