Interactions and Flexibility in the Orientation System of Migratory Birds

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The orientation and navigation behavior of vertebrate animals is remarkable in its complexity and reliance on multiple, interacting cues. The system enables animals to respond flexibly to the variety of environmental conditions that may be encountered during a migratory journey. This flexibility in behavior enables the animal to perform accurately in the face of variability and changing availability of the cues upon which it relies. Only in birds have the relationships among orientation cues been explored in detail. How does a young bird come to possess a suite of compasses sufficient, on its first migration, to successfully determine in which direction to fly? Dr. Able will employ a developmental approach to this problem, hand-raising birds under controlled conditions in which their experiences with relevant orientation cues (earth's magnetic field, sun, stars, polarized-light patterns in the sky) can be manipulated. In this way Dr. Able can delineate the interactions and calibrations that occur during the development of compass-orientation abilities in the young animal. As in most complex behavior, this development involves a rich interplay of genetically-based predispositions and templates with experience and learning. The research will contribute importantly both to improved understanding of the development of complex behavior, and to a greater understanding of bird migration that will be crucial in efforts to conserve neotropical migratory birds.