Getting to Know Robin Birds, Poultry Owners of Super Retina Equivalent to Directional Devices

Liputan6.com, Europe – Way bird migrated over long distances on land and sea which was once a mystery. However, slowly it can be solved. Scientists can now find the answer bit by bit by studying robins so they don’t get lost and finding clues by sensing the earth’s magnetic field.

Just like you would use a magnetic compass to find north or south, bird considered to have a “living compass” built-in.

According to a new study, a chemical in the eye that is sensitive to magnets could prove this theory. Peter Hore, a professor of chemistry at the University of Oxford, said it could be possible for birds to “see” the Earth’s magnetic field, although we don’t know for sure.

Peter said it’s likely that researchers have identified a molecule that allows small migrating songbirds to detect the direction of Earth’s magnetic field, which they can no doubt do, and use that information to help them navigate as they migrate thousands of kilometers.

For decades, scientists have investigated how animals such as birds, turtles, fish, and insects sense the earth’s magnetic field and use it to keep them from getting lost.

Bird European robin becomes proponent of study of “living compass” built-in, which birds use to orient themselves using the earth’s magnetic field.

One of the chemical competitors is a molecule in the retina of the eye known as cryptochrome.

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