The Homing Instinct

by Bernd Heinrich

Eels

  Tesch, F. W. The Eels. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Science, 2003.

  Dung Beetles

  Dacke, M., E. Baird, M. Byrne, C. H. Scholtz, and E. J. Warrant. Dung beetles use the Milky Way for orientation. Current Biology 24 (January 2013).

  By the Sun, Stars, and Magnetic Compass

  General Works on Migration

  Berthold, P. Bird Migration: A General Survey. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2001.

  Berthold, P., E. Gwinner, and E. Sonnenschein. Avian Migration. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer-Verlag, 2003.

  Hilton, B., Jr. Bird-banding basics. Wild Bird 5, no. 10 (1991): 56– 59.

  Papi, F., ed. Animal Homing. London: Chapman & Hall, 1992.

  Weidensaul, S. Living on the Wind: Across the Hemispheres With Migrating Birds. New York: North Point Press, 1999.

  Human Spatial Orientation

  Cornell, E. H., C. D. Heth, and D. M. Alberts. Place recognition and way finding by children and adults. Memory and Cognition 22 (1994): 537–42.

  Cornell, E. H., A. Sorenson, and T. Mio. Human sense of direction and wayfinding. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 93 (2003): 402–28.

  Darwin, C. Origin of certain instincts. Nature, April 3, 1873, 417– 18.

  Doeller, C. F., B. Caswell, and N. Burgess. Evidence for grid cells in a human memory network. Nature 463 (2010): 657–61.

  Hafting, T., M. Fyhn, S. Molden, M. B. Moser, and E. I. Moser. Microstructure of a spatial map in the entorhinal cortex. Nature 436 (2005): 801–6.

  Manx Shearwaters

  Mazzeo, R. Homing of the Manx shearwater. The Auk 70 (1953): 200–201.

  Bar-tailed Godwit

  Gill, R. E., Jr., T. Piersma, G. Hufford, R. Servranckx, and A. Riegen. Crossing the ultimate ecological barrier: Evidence for an 11,000-km-long nonstop flight from Alaska to New Zealand and eastern Australia by bar-tailed godwits. The Condor 107 (2005): 1–20.

  Gill, R. E., Jr., T. L. Tibbitts, D. C. Douglas, C. M. Handel, D. M. Mulcahy, C. Gottschalck, N. Warnock, B. J. McCaffery, P. F. Battley, and T. Piersma. Extreme endurance flights by landbirds crossing the Pacific Ocean: Ecological corridor rather than barrier? Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 276 (2009): 447–57.

  Piersma, T., and R. E. Gill Jr. Guts don’t fly: Small digestive organs in obese bar-tailed godwits. The Auk 115 (1998): 196–203.

  Pigeons

  Fleissner, G., E. Holtkamp-Roetzler, M. Hanzlik, M. Winklhofen, G. Fleissner, N. Petersen, and W. Wiltschko. Ultrastructure analysis of a putative magnetoreceptor in the beak of homing pigeons. J. Comparative Neurology 458 (2003): 350–60.

  Keeton, W. T. Magnets interfere with pigeon homing. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 68 (1971): 102–6.

  ———. The mystery of pigeon homing. Scientific American, December 1974.

  Schmidt-Koenig, K., and C. Walcott. Tracks of pigeons homing with frosted lenses. Animal Behaviour 26 (1978): 480–86.

  Somershoe, S. G., C.R.D. Brown, and R. T. Poole. Winter site fidelity and over-winter site persistence of passerines in Florida. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 121, no. 1 (2009): 119–25.

  Walcott, C. Multi-model orientation cues in homing pigeons. Integrative and Comparative Biology 45 (2005): 574–81.

  Walcott, C., and R. P. Green. Orientation of homing pigeons altered by a change in the direction of an applied magnetic field. Science 184 (1974): 180–82.

  Winter Homes

  Latta, S. C., and J. Faaborg. Demographic and population responses of Cape May warblers wintering in multiple habitats. Ecology 83 (2002): 2502–15.

  ———. Winter site fidelity of prairie warblers in the Dominican Republic. Condor 103 (2001): 455–68.

  Morton, E. S., J. F. Lynch, K. Young, and P. Mehlhop. Do male hooded warblers exclude females from nonbreeding territories in tropical forest? The Auk 104 (1987): 133–35.

  Rimmer, C. C., and C. H. Darmstadt. Non-breeding site fidelity in northern shrikes. J. Field Ecology 67 (1996): 360–66.

  Rimmer, C. C., and K. P. McFarland. Known breeding and wintering sites of Bicknell’s thrush. Wilson Bulletin 113 (2001): 234–36.

  Townsend, J. M., and C. C. Rimmer. Known natal and wintering sites of a Bicknell’s thrush. J. of Field Ornithology 77 (2006): 452–54.

  Townsend, J. M., C. C. Rimmer, K. P. McFarland, and J. E. Goetz. Site-specific variation in food resources, sex ratios, and body condition of an overwintering migrant songbird. The Auk 129 (2012): 683–90.

  Bird Celestial Orientation

  Emlen, S. T. Bird migration: Influence of physiological state upon celestial migration. Science 165 (1969): 716–18.

  ———. Celestial rotation: Its importance in the development of migratory orientation. Science 170 (1970): 1198–1201.

  ———. Migratory orientation in the indigo bunting, Passerina cyanea. The Auk 84 (1967): 306–42, 463–82.

  ———. The stellar-orientation system of a migrating bird. Scientific American, August 1975.

  Emlen, S. T., W. Wiltschko, N. J. Demong, R. Wiltschko, and S. Bergman. Magnetic direction finding: Evidence for its use in migratory indigo buntings. Science 193 (1976): 505–8.

  Sauer, E.G.F. Celestial navigation by birds. Scientific American, August 1958.

  Bird Magnetic Orientation

  Edmonds, D. T. A sensitive optically detected magnetic compass for animals. Proc. Biol. Sci. 263 (1996): 295–98.

  Lohmann, K. J., C.M.F. Lohmann, and N. F. Putman. Magnetic maps in animals: Nature’s GPS. J. Exp. Biol. 210 (2007): 3697–3705.

  Mouritsen, H., U. Janssen-Bienhold, M. Liedvogel, G. Feenders, J. Stalleicken, P. Dirks, and R. Weiler. Cryptochromes and neural-activity markers colocalize in the retina of migratory birds during magnetic orientation. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 101, no. 39 (2004): 14294–99.

  Mulheim, R., J. Bäckman, and S. Akesson. Magnetic compass orientation in European robins is dependent on both wavelength and intensity of light. J. Exp. Biol. 205 (2002): 3845–56.

  Ritz, T., R. Wiltschko, P. J. Hore, C. T. Rodgers, K. Stapput, P. Thalau, C. R. Timmel, and W. Wiltschko. Magnetic compass of birds is based on a molecule with optimal directional sensitivity. Biophysical Journal 96, no. 8 (2009): 3451–57.

  Stapput, K., O. Güntürkun, K. Peter Hoffmann, R. Wiltschko, and W. Wiltschko. Magnetoreception of directional information in birds requires nondegraded vision. Current Biology 20, no. 14 (July 8, 2010): 1259–62.

  Wiltschko, W., and R. Wiltschko. Light-dependent magnetoreception in birds: The behaviour of European robins, Erithacus rubecula, under monochromatic light of various wavelengths and intensities. J. Exp. Biol. 204 (2001): 3295–3302.

  ———. Magnetic compass of European robins. Science 176 (1972): 62–64.

  Wu, L.-Q., and J. D. Dickman. Neural correlates of a magnetic sense. Science 336 (May 25, 2012): 1054–57.

  Bird Sun Compass Orientation

  Kramer, G. Experiments on bird orientation and their interpretation. Ibis 99 (1957): 196–227.

  Matthews, G.V.T. Sun navigation in homing pigeons. J. Exp. Biol. 30 (1953): 243.

  Perdeck, A. C. Two types of orientation in migrating starlings, Sturnus vulgaris L., and chaffinches, Fringilla coelebs, as revealed by displacement experiments. Ardea 46 (1958): 1–37.

  Genetic Control of Migratory Directions

  Berthold, P., and A. Helbig. Changing course. Living Bird, Summer 1994, 25–29.

  ———. The genetics of bird migration: Stimulus, timing, and direction. Ibis 34 (1992): 35–40.

  Gwinner, E., and W. Wiltschko. Endogenously controlled changes in migratory direction of the garden warbler, Sylvia borin. J. Comparative Physiology A 125 (2004): 267–73.

  Integrating Orienting Signals

  Able, K. P., and M. A. Able. The flexible migratory orientation system of the savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis). J. Exp. Biol. 199 (1996): 3–8.

  ———. Ontogeny of migratory orientation in the savannah sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis: Mechanisms at sunset. Animal Behaviour 39 (19
90): 1189–98.

  Benson, R., and P. Semm. Does the avian ophthalmic nerve carry magnetic navigational information? J. Exp. Biol. 199 (1996): 1241–44.

  Cochran, W. W., H. Mouritsen, and M. Wilkelski. Migrating songbirds recalibrate their magnetic compass daily from twilight cues. Science 304 (2004): 405–8.

  Wiltschko, W. U., H. Munro, R. Ford, and R. Wiltschko. Magnetic orientation in birds: Non-compass responses under monochromatic light of increased intensity. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 270 (2003): 2133–40.

  Sea Turtles

  Carr, A. The navigation of the green turtle. Scientific American, May 1965.

  Ehrenfeld, D. W. The role of vision in the sea-finding orientation of the green turtle (Chelonia mydas). 2. Orientation mechanism and range of spectral sensitivity. Animal Behaviour 16 (1968): 281–87.

  Lohmann, K. J., S. D. Cain, S. A. Dodge, and C.M.F. Lohmann. Regional magnetic fields as navigational markers for sea turtles. Science 294 (2001): 364–66.

  Lohmann, K. J., J. T. Hester, and C.M.F. Lohmann. Long-distance navigation in sea turtles. Ethology, Ecology, and Evolution 11 (1999): 1–23.

  Lohmann, K. J., and C.M.F. Lohmann. Detection of magnetic field intensity by sea turtles. Nature 380 (1996): 59–61.

  Lohmann, K. J., C.M.F. Lohmann, L. M. Ehrhart, D. A. Bagley, and T. Swing. Animal behavior: Geomagnetic map used in sea turtle navigation. Nature 428 (2004): 909–10.

  Luschi, P., G. C. Hays, C. D. Seppia, R. Marsh, and F. Papi. The navigation feats of green turtles migrating from Ascension Island investigated by satellite telemetry. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 265 (1998): 2279–84.

  Papi, F., and P. Luschi. Pinpointing “Isla Meta”: The case of sea turtles and albatrosses. J. Exp. Biol. 199 (1996): 65–71.

  Smelling Their Way Home

  Scent Orienting by Insects

  Fabre, J. H. “The Great Peacock Moth.” In The Insect World of J. Henri Fabre. Boston: Beacon Press, 1991.

  ———. The Life of the Caterpillar. 1878. First published in Souvenirs Entomologiques. English translation by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos. London and New York: Hodder and Stoughton, 1912.

  Steck, K., M. Knaden, and W. S. Hansson. Do desert ants smell the scenery in stereo? Animal Behaviour 79 (2010): 929–45.

  Mice Homing

  Hamilton, W. J., Jr. American Mammals. New York and London: McGraw-Hill, 1939.

  Salmon Scent Orientation in Homing

  Dittman, A. H., and T. P. Quinn. Homing in Pacific salmon: Mechanisms and ecological basis. J. Exp. Biol. 199 (1996): 83–91.

  Hasler, A. D., and J. A. Larsen. The homing salmon. Scientific American, August 1955.

  Hasler, A. D., and A. T. Scholz. Olfactory Imprinting and Homing in Salmon. Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag, 1983.

  Hasler, A. D., and W. J. Wisby. Discrimination of stream odors by fishes and its relation to parent stream behavior. American Naturalist 85 (1951): 223–38.

  Scholz, A. T., R. M. Horrell, J. C. Cooper, and A. D. Hasler. Imprinting to chemical cues: The basis for home selection in salmon. Science 192, no. 4245 (1976): 1247–49.

  Procellariiform Birds During Foraging

  Hutchison, L. V., and B. M. Wenzel. Olfaction guidance in foraging by procellariiforms. Condor 82 (1980): 314–19.

  Nevitt, G. A. Sensory ecology on the high seas: The odor world of procellariiform birds. J. Exp. Biol. 211 (2008): 1706–13.

  Nevitt, G. A., M. Losekoot, and H. Weimerkirch. Evidence for olfactory search in wandering albatross, Diomedea exulans. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 105 (2008): 4576–81.

  Verheyden, C., and P. Jouvien. Olfactory behavior of foraging procellariiforms. The Auk 111 (1994): 285–91.

  Leach’s Petrel Homing and Olfaction

  Billings, S. M. Homing in Leach’s petrel. The Auk 85 (1968): 36–43.

  Griffin, D. R. Homing experiments with Leach’s petrels. The Auk 57 (1940): 61–74.

  Grubb, T. C. Olfactory guidance of Leach’s storm petrel to the breeding island. Wilson Bulletin 91 (1979): 141–43.

  ———. Olfactory navigation to the nesting burrow in Leach’s petrel (Oceanodroma leucorrhoa). Animal Behaviour 22 (1974): 192– 202.

  Pierson, E. C., C. E. Huntington, and N. T. Wheelright. Homing experiment with Leach’s storm-petrels. The Auk 106 (January 1989): 148–50.

  Human Imprinting on Scent

  Gemeno, C., K. V. Yeargan, and K. F. Haynes. Aggressive chemical mimicry by the bolas spider, Mastophora hutchinsoni: Identification and quantification of a major prey’s sex pheromone components in the spider’s volatile emissions. Journal of Chemical Ecology 26 (2000): 1235–43.

  Schaal, B., G. Coureaud, S. Daucet, M. Delaunay-El Allam, A. S. Moncomble, D. Montigny, B. Patris, and A. Holley. Mammary olfactory signalisation in females and odor processing in neonates: Ways evolved by rabbits and humans. Behavioural Brain Research 200 (2009): 346–58.

  Picking the Spot

  Communication and Homing by Bees

  Beekman, M., R. L. Fathke, and T. D. Seeley. How does an informed minority of scouts guide a honeybee swarm as it flies to its new home? Animal Behaviour 71 (2006): 161–71.

  Camazine, S., P. K. Vischer, J. Finley, and R. S. Vetter. House-hunting by honey bee swarms: Collective decisions and individual behaviors. Insectes Sociaux 46 (1999): 348–60.

  Lindauer, M. Communication Among Social Bees. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1961.

  ———. Schwarmbienen auf Wohnungssuche. Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Physiologie 37 (1955): 263–324.

  Seeley, T. D. Honeybee Ecology: A Study of Adaptation in Social Life. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1985.

  ———. Honeybee Democracy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2010.

  ———. Consensus building during nest-site selection in honey bee swarms: The expiration of dissent. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 53 (2003): 417–24.

  Seeley, T. D., and S. C. Buhrman. Nest-site selection in honey bees: How well do swarms implement the “best-of-N” decision rule? Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 49 (2001): 416–27.

  Seeley, T. D., and J. Tautz. Worker piping in honey bee swarms and its role in preparing for liftoff. J. Comparative Physiology A 187 (2001): 667–76.

  Seeley, T. D., and P. K. Visscher. Quorum sensing during nest-site selection by honeybee swarms. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 56 (2004): 594–601.

  Seeley, T. D., P. K. Visscher, and K. M. Passino. Group decision making in honey bee swarms. American Scientist 94 (2006): 220–29.

  von Frisch, K. Bees: Their Vision, Chemical Senses, and Language. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1950.

  ———. The Dancing Bees: An Account of the Life and Senses of the Honey Bee. London: Methuen, 1954.

  Swarm Temperature Regulation

  Heinrich, B. Energetics of honeybee swarm thermoregulation. Science 212 (1981): 565–66.

  ———. The mechanisms and energetics of honeybee swarm temperature regulation. J. Exp. Biol. 91 (1981): 25–55.

  Bird Home Territories

  Ahlering, M. A., and J. Faaborg. Avian habitat management meets conspecific attraction: If you have it, will they come? The Auk 123 (2006): 301–12.

  Amrhein, V., H. P. Kunc, and M. Naguib. Non-territorial nightingales prospect territories during the dawn chorus. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 271, suppl. 4 (2004): S167–S169.

  Bernard, M. J., L. J. Goodrich, W. M. Tzilkowski, and M. C. Brittingham. Site fidelity and lifetime territorial consistency of ovenbirds (Serus aurocapilla) in a contiguous forest. The Auk 128 (2011): 633–42.

  Cornell, K. L., and T. M. Donovan. Scale-dependent mechanisms of habitat selection for a migratory passerine: An experimental approach. The Auk 127 (2010): 899–908.

  Jones, J. Habitat selection studies in avian ecology: A critical review. The Auk 118 (2001): 557–62.

  Saunders, P., E. A. Roche, T. W. Arnold, and F. J. Cuthert. Female site familiarity increases fledging success in piping plovers (Charadrius melodus). The Auk 129 (2012): 329–51. />
  Bird Nest Sites

  Greeney, H. F., and S. M. Wethington. Proximity to active Accipiter nests reduces nest predation of black-chinned hummingbirds. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 121 (2009): 809–12.

  Heinrich, B. The Nesting Season: Cuckoos, Cuckolds, and the Evolution of Monogamy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2010.

  Architectures of Home

  Bird Nests

  Borgia, G. Why do bowerbirds build bowers? American Scientist 83 (1995): 542–47.

  Goodfellow, P. Avian Architecture: How Birds Design, Engineer and Build. Princeton, NJ, and Oxford, UK: Princeton University Press, 2011.

  Hansell, M. Bird Nests and Construction Behaviour. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2000.

  Heinrich, B. The Nesting Season: Cuckoos, Cuckolds and the Evolution of Monogamy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2010.