Importance of olfaction for homing pigeon navigation in Ohio, USA

Homing pigeons were made temporarily anosmic and released from four locations to examine the importance of atmospheric odors for their navigational performance in northwest Ohio, USA. From each location, the navigational performance of the anosmic pigeons was poorer compared to controls either with respect to vanishing bearings, homing time or homing success. Although the effect of anosmia varied between release sites, the results are consistent with a large body of existing evidence emphasizing a critical role for olfaction in homing pigeon navigation.