The sense of smell helps birds navigate when flying at sea

According to Scientific Reports, a research project conducted by a group of zoologists from Oxford (UK), Barcelona (Spain) and Pisa (Italy) universities shows that the sense of smell plays an important role. Oriented birds in flights on vast waters.

In previous studies, scientists have shown that if birds are deprived of their sense of smell, birds are no longer able to find their way back to their nests while suffering from a magnetic perception disorder does not always lead to Such consequences. However, there are skeptics who consider that evidence to be insufficient.

Mediterranean albatross.

In their opinion, loss of sense cannot disrupt the bird's ability to direct flight, but loss of consciousness affects birds in a different way, for example, making birds no longer want to fly back or reduces the ability to find food. In addition, studies have been conducted on birds that have been moved by scientists to a new location.

In the new study, the international team of scientists has tracked the route of 29 Mediterranean albatrosses (Calonectris diomedea) using tiny GPS locators attached to bird bodies. . Scientists have tracked the natural flight of birds from their nests in coastal cliffs to sea-based bait sites. One third of birds temporarily lose their ability to smell by zinc sulfate spray, one third of birds are wearing small magnets, and one third of birds play a control group.

All birds often fly to the sea to find fish and return to the nest to swap places with the nest bird. The apparent loss of sense did not cause the bird to lose its motivation to return to the nest or lose its ability to hunt. But the orientation in the flight of olfactory birds is significantly different from other birds. Instead of flying back to the nest, they flew in straight lines, poor orientation. Only when they can see the land, can they adjust the flight path and move the short way to the nest.

Scientists believe it is the sense of smell that helps albatross find their way when the coastline goes out of sight. And when you see the coast, birds can use familiar terrain markers.