Abstract
A model of pigeon navigation is proposed. It is based on the assumption that a pigeon is in possession of a magnetometer to measure two geomagnetic field components. Another assumption is that in the linear approximation these components form a skew reference coordinate system. The model can explain not only how the birds find their way back home, but also a series of characteristic traits of their navigation, which, in spite of numerous experiments, still remain puzzling. An analysis of the model has also shown that the sensitivity of the magnetometer must be extremely high, in excess of the present-day technological achievements.
This is a slightly updated version of the article prepared by the author in past years and published in Polish-language journal PrzeglÄ…d Geofizyczny (see Jankowski 2010)
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Jankowski, J. (2014). Pigeon Navigation Model Based on a Vector Magnetometer. In: Bialik, R., Majdański, M., Moskalik, M. (eds) Achievements, History and Challenges in Geophysics. GeoPlanet: Earth and Planetary Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07599-0_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07599-0_17
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