The Friends of Charles Darwin

Homing pigeons use the Earth's magnetic field to navigate their way home over long distances, scientists writing in Nature magazine claim. The pigeons probably use tiny magnetic particles in their beaks to sense our planet's magnetic field, scientists say The birds use their ability to create a map of this field and then use it to navigate back to their home loft, New Zealand researchers claim. It casts serious doubt on a theory that the birds use smell to navigate.