Many of our breeding species are now resting in Africa. When they make their way back to their breeding sites, they will be helped in finding themselves in space by, among others, star arrangement. A zoologist from the Poznan University of Life Sciences talks about the relationship between astronomy and ornithology.
“Animals find their place in space, whether thanks to their magnetic sense or terrain signs – here, moreover, a special star, the Sun, plays a special role. Thanks to the sunlight, we and the animals can simply see trees, rivers, rocks, and we can arrange or modify internal maps and itineraries. There are quite a lot of these mechanisms of orientation in the field, but orientation to the constellations of stars is something amazing,” notes Prof. Piotr Tryjanowski from the PULS, quoted in the information provided by the university.
Birds are the masters of stellar navigation. In the northern hemisphere, they orientate themselves very well concerning the Pole Star, and when crossing to the southern hemisphere they set a “compass” concerning the Crux.