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Why do experienced starlings navigate differently from young starlings on their first migration?
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Migration
A herd of common wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) migrating across a dusty savanna in Africa. The animal is a keystone species (i.e., a species with a disproportionately large effect on its biological community) in plains and acacia savanna ecosystems from southeastern Africa to central Kenya.
The difference in navigation between experienced and young starlings during migration lies in the development of a "map" component alongside their innate compass.
While both age groups possess an innate ability to use a compassâwhich provides a directional bearing, such as southwestâthey differ significantly in their spatial awareness:
- Young starlings: On their first migration, these birds rely solely on their compass. When displaced from their normal route, they continue to fly in their innate directional heading (southwest), which leads them to an incorrect destination. They lack the knowledge of the spatial relationship between their current location and their goal.
- Experienced starlings: Adult birds have developed a "map" of the relative positions of their summer and winter habitats through the experience of previous migrations. When displaced, this map allows them to recognize their position relative to their goal and adjust their flight path accordingly to reach their intended destination, rather than simply following a fixed compass bearing.1
In essence, while the compass component of navigation is innate, the map component that allows for corrective navigation develops only with migratory experience.1