SUN COMPASS ORIENTATION OF PIGEONS UPON EQUATORIAL AND TRANS-EQUATORIAL DISPLACEMENT

¹ Dept. of Zoology, Duke University, Durham, N. C., and Max-Planck-Institut f. Verhaltensphysiologie, Abt. Mittelstaedt, Wilhelmshaven and Seewiesen, Germany

1. Five homing pigeons were directionally trained at Durham, N. C. (36° 00' N; 78° 56' W). An automatically recording and rewarding cage was used. The directional response of the birds was tested upon displacement to Belém, Brazil (1° 27' S; 48° 25' W) and subsequently to Montevideo, Uruguay (34° 53' S; 56° 05' W). The birds were prevented from directly seeing the sun except for the actual test periods of about 10 minutes on each occasion.

2. The birds clearly did not allow for the respective local sun movements in South America but referred to the sun as if it were the sun at Durham. The choices in South America were more widely scattered than those at home.