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The Journal of Experimental Biology 205, 1795-1805 (2002)
© 2002 The Company of Biologists Limited

Orientation and lateralized cue use in pigeons navigating a large indoor environment

Helmut Prior^*, Frank Lingenauber, Jörg Nitschke and Onur Güntürkün

AE Biopsychologie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: helmut.prior{at}ruhr-uni-bochum.de )

Accepted 2 April 2002

The pigeon's use of different visuo-spatial cues was studied under controlled laboratory conditions that simulated analogous aspects of a homing situation. The birds first learned the route to a goal that was not visible from the starting location, but became visible as it was approached. Birds could orientate within a mainly geometric global reference frame, using prominent landmarks within their range, or by `piloting' along local cues. After learning the route, the birds were tested from familiar and unfamiliar release points, and several aspects of the available cues were varied systematically. The study explored the contribution of the left and right brain hemispheres by performing tests with the right or left eye occluded. The results show that pigeons can establish accurate bearings towards a non-visible goal by using a global reference frame only. Furthermore, there was a peak of searching activity at the location predicted by the global reference frame. Search at this location and directedness of the bearings were equally high with both right and left eye, suggesting that both brain hemispheres have the same competence level for these components of the task. A lateralization effect occurred when prominent landmarks were removed or translated. While the right brain hemisphere completely ignored such changes, the left brain hemisphere was distracted by removal of landmarks. After translation of landmarks, the left but not the right brain hemisphere allocated part of the searching activity to the site predicted by the new landmark position. The results show that a mainly geometric global visual reference frame is sufficient to determine exact bearings from familiar and unfamiliar release points. Overall, the results suggest a model of brain lateralization with a well-developed global spatial reference system in either hemisphere and an extra capacity for the processing of object features in the left brain.

Key words: orientation, lateralized cue use, brain, pigeon, Columba livia

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