Birds and physics, physics and birds, like peanut butter and jelly or rum and coke, right? Sure. So who was surprised this month when reading this story about how some migratory birds sense optimum pressure gradient situations to ride the pressure ridges on fronts to save time and energy, such as the godwit (shown below).

Keeping up with the godwits is hard work. Not to be outdone, new evidence has come to light concerning the magnetic sensing abilities of pigeons. Scientists at Baylor University have found that cells in the bird’s inner ears that sense the magnetic field vector. Furthermore, it appears the hippocampus region of the brain in these birds allows them to store maps to navigate. The same brain activity occurs in people. Bird-brained indeed!