The homing behaviour of Cory's shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea) studied by means of a direction recorder

Abstract

A direction recorder, which can be carried by a flying bird on its back, has been used for the first time on a wild species. The device can detect and record the direction in which a bird is heading during flight. Cory's shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea) were moved from their nesting colony to five different sites and fitted with direction recorders, and four homing flight paths were obtained. Our data show that the displaced birds were able to assume and maintain a homeward course soon after release over large areas of open sea, completely devoid of guiding features; topographical elements are, therefore, not necessary for correct orientation.