Study
Migratory Orientation in the Indigo Bunting, Passerina cyanea: Part I: Evidence for Use of Celestial Cues
Emlen, Stephen T.
The Auk, 1967
Buntings in orientation funnels were tested under a planetarium sky that could be rotated, blocked or altered star by star. Birds raised without ever seeing a natural sky were tested against birds with normal experience, and specific constellations near the celestial pole were selectively removed.
- Studied in
- Passerina cyanea
- Sample size
- indigo buntings tested under natural and simulated skies
Birds oriented by the pattern of stars around the axis of rotation rather than by any particular constellation, and rotating the artificial sky rotated their headings correspondingly. Birds reared without a rotating sky failed to orient; those that had seen rotation learned the pole from it, whichever star it was centred on.
What it means
The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.
How the authors put it
The star compass is learned in early life from the rotation of the night sky, not inherited as a map of specific constellations.
How NatureHQ reads it
The learned part is what makes this remarkable, and it is usually dropped in retellings. A bird does not inherit knowledge of Polaris — it inherits a rule for finding whatever the sky turns around, which is why the compass still works as the pole star changes over thousands of years. Instinct here is a learning procedure rather than a stored answer.
- One species, in a planetarium, with an artificial sky brighter and simpler than the real one.
- Captive rearing conditions are severe manipulations with effects beyond the sky.
- A star compass gives direction only; nothing here addresses how a bird knows where it is.
Taking the stars away one at a time
Night-migrating birds orient under a starry sky. Are they reading specific constellations, or something more general?
What this study is used for on NatureHQ
One study can inform several subjects. Here is everywhere this one is cited.
Published by: Wiley journalsPublished in a Wiley journal.
This reference was resolved automatically against Crossref on 2026-08-11.
NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-08-10.