title: True navigation in migrating gulls requires intact olfactory nerves.
abstract: During migratory journeys, birds may become displaced from their normal migratory route. Experimental evidence has shown that adult birds can correct for such displacements and return to their goal. However, the nature of the cues used by migratory birds to perform long distance navigation is still debated. In this experiment we subjected adult lesser black-backed gulls migrating from their Finnish/Russian breeding grounds (from >60°N) to Africa (to < 5°N) to sensory manipulation, to determine the sensory systems required for navigation. We translocated birds westward (1080 km) or eastward (885 km) to simulate natural navigational challenges. When translocated westwards and outside their migratory corridor birds with olfactory nerve section kept a clear directional preference (southerly) but were unable to compensate for the displacement, while intact birds and gulls with the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve sectioned oriented towards their population-specific migratory corridor. Thus, air-borne olfactory information seems to be important for migrating gulls to navigate successfully in some circumstances.
authors.affiliation: Department of Migration and ImmunoEcology, Max-Planck Institute of Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany.|Ornithology, Konstanz University, 78457 Konstanz, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wikelski
authors.affiliation: Department of Migration and ImmunoEcology, Max-Planck Institute of Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Arriero
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Via Volta 6, Pisa University, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gagliardo
authors.affiliation: Department of Migration and ImmunoEcology, Max-Planck Institute of Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.affiliation: School of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science and Forestry, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu campus, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland.
authors.forename: Markku J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Huttunen
authors.affiliation: Karelia University of Applied Sciences, Joensuu, Finland.
authors.forename: Risto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Juvaste
authors.affiliation: Department of Migration and ImmunoEcology, Max-Planck Institute of Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany.
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.affiliation: Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Staromonetnystr. 29, Moscow, 119017, Russia.
authors.forename: Grigori
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tertitski
authors.affiliation: Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark.
authors.forename: Kasper
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thorup
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy with Radiology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland. Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wild
authors.forename: Markku
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alanko
authors.affiliation: Institute of Avian Research, An der Vogelwarte 21, 26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bairlein
authors.affiliation: Solovetskiy Branch of White Sea Biological Station of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Zaozernaya str. 17-1-6, Solovetskiy, Arkhangelsk district, 164409, Russia.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cherenkov
authors.affiliation: Department of Migration and ImmunoEcology, Max-Planck Institute of Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Flatz
authors.forename: Juhani
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hannila
authors.affiliation: Institute of Avian Research, An der Vogelwarte 21, 26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
authors.forename: Ommo
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hüppop
authors.forename: Markku
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kangasniemi
authors.affiliation: Department of Migration and ImmunoEcology, Max-Planck Institute of Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany.
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kranstauber
authors.affiliation: Karelia University of Applied Sciences, Joensuu, Finland.
authors.forename: Maija-Liisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Penttinen
authors.affiliation: Department of Migration and ImmunoEcology, Max-Planck Institute of Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany.
authors.forename: Kamran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Safi
authors.affiliation: Field Educational Centre "Ecosystem", Festivalnaya st., 22-8-111, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Semashko
authors.affiliation: Department of Migration and ImmunoEcology, Max-Planck Institute of Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany.
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wistbacka
mesh_terms: D025041:Animal Migration; D000818:Animals; D046091:Charadriiformes / Q000502:physiology*; D058998:Remote Sensing Technology; D012903:Smell; D014276:Trigeminal Nerve / Q000502:physiology*