Where does this come from, and can I check it?

A light sensitive protein in the eye may let them see the field. The figure is taken from Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a animals fact?

Yes. It sits on the Animals shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Birds sense Earth's magnetic field to find their way

A light sensitive protein in the eye may let them see the field Experiments with robins showed magnetic orientation fails under certain wavelengths of light. The leading explanation involves a protein called cryptochrome reacting to blue light. Birds appear to combine this with stars, landmarks and smell. It sits in Mondo's animals collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Britannica

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

Go further

Science trivia

More facts like this

There are three different kinds of northTrue north, magnetic north and grid north point in different directions depending on where you stand The magnetic north pole keeps driftingIt has wandered across the Arctic at accelerating speed and now sits well away from the geographic pole A compass points to magnetic north, not true northThe gap between the two directions is called declination and varies by location Pigeons can find home from over 1,000 kilometresThey use the Sun, magnetic cues and familiar landmarks together Sea turtles navigate oceans using Earth magnetic fieldHatchling sea turtles detect magnetic inclination and intensity.Dung beetles navigate in straight lines using the Milky WayNight-active dung beetles use the starry sky gradient to roll dung balls.

Tags: birds, magnetism, navigation

Birds sense Earth's magnetic field to find their way: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: A light sensitive protein in the eye may let them see the field. The figure is taken from Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a animals fact?: Yes. It sits on the Animals shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.