Cited by 587Electromagnetic Fields and Biological EffectsGeomagnetism and Paleomagnetism StudiesAvian ecology and behavior

Magnetic orientation and magnetoreception in birds and other animals

Wiltschko, Wolfgang, Wiltschko, Roswitha·2005·Journal of Comparative Physiology A

Abstract

Animals use the geomagnetic field in many ways: the magnetic vector provides a compass; magnetic intensity and/or inclination play a role as a component of the navigational 'map', and magnetic conditions of certain regions act as 'sign posts' or triggers, eliciting specific responses. A magnetic compass is widespread among animals, magnetic navigation is indicated e.g. in birds, marine turtles and spiny lobsters and the use of magnetic 'sign posts' has been described for birds and marine turtles. For magnetoreception, two hypotheses are currently discussed, one proposing a chemical compass based on a radical pair mechanism, the other postulating processes involving magnetite particles. The available evidence suggests that birds use both mechanisms, with the radical pair mechanism in the right eye providing directional information and a magnetite-based mechanism in the upper beak providing information on position as component of the 'map'. Behavioral data from other animals indicate a light-dependent compass probably based on a radical pair mechanism in amphibians and a possibly magnetite-based mechanism in mammals. Histological and electrophysiological data suggest a magnetite-based mechanism in the nasal cavities of salmonid fish. Little is known about the parts of the brain where the respective information is processed.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1007/s00359-005-0627-7

Cites

103 of 103 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • The field of neurophysics already attests that the study of the brain borrows from ideas across the spectrum of physics: electricity and magnetism, mechanics, thermodynamics, optics.

    “The field of neurophysics already attests to the fact that the study of the brain borrows from ideas across the spectrum of physics: electricity and magnetism, mechanics, thermo-dynamics, optics 15 .”

    From Quantum effects in the brain: A review (2020) · cites this paper as [15]

  • Singlet-triplet mixing experiences the influence of the Earth's magnetic field and has offered some way of explaining behavioural observations such as light-dependence, inclination aspect and resonance effects of the avian compass.

    “It is the singlet -triplet mixing that experiences the influence of the Earth's magnetic field and that has offered some way of explaining behavioural observations such as the light-dependence [94], inclination aspect [95] and resonance effects of the avian compass [96,97].”

    From The future of quantum biology (2018) · cites this paper as [95]

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Wiltschko, W., & Wiltschko, R.
Affiliations
Goethe University Frankfurt (DE)
Corresponding author
Wiltschko, Wolfgang
Venue
Journal of Comparative Physiology A
Published
2005-05-11
Volume
191
Issue
8
Pages
675-693
ISSN
  • 0340-7594 (ISSN-L)
  • 1432-1351
OpenAlex
W2079500075
Cited by
587
References
103
Citations by year
2026: 18 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 42 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 39 · 2018: 32 · 2017: 30 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 25 · 2014: 54 · 2013: 30 · 2012: 28
FWCI
12.73
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Comparative Physiology A (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biophysics › Electromagnetic Fields and Biological Effects
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Avian ecology and behavior
Keywords
magnetoreception, geomagnetic field, magnetic compass, magnetic navigation, birds, sea turtles, spiny lobster, radical pair mechanism, magnetite, magnetic maps, amphibians, salmonids, nasal cavity, animal orientation
MeSH terms
Animals, Birds, Magnetics, Orientation, Animal Migration

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review