pigeons use – New findings in Science suggest pigeons may navigate using a previously unsuspected magnetic-sensing mechanism: iron-containing macrophages in liver tissue that can relay “magnetic” information to the brain. When the researchers blocked these cells with clodro
For days, the pigeons kept finding their way back. Then the instructions changed—simple injections aimed at disabling a specific set of cells—and the homing instinct fell apart.
In the control group, every pigeon successfully navigated its way back to the aviary. But pigeons that received the injections lost their sense of direction and did not return home until the following day. when the sun was out. A follow-up experiment with clodronate-treated pigeons under sunny conditions did not affect homing ability. because they were able to use solar cues.
Taken together, the results point to a navigation strategy that relies on the sun’s orientation as well as magnetic sensing. The magnetic part is the surprising twist: the study suggests a biological mechanism that had not been previously suspected to be involved in animal magnetoreception.
The researchers used electron microscopy and histology to show what may be doing the sensing. Images of pigeon liver tissue depict hepatic macrophage cells in contact with nerve fiber structures—an arrangement the authors say could enable those cells to transmit “magnetic” information to the pigeon brain. Histology images also show iron-containing macrophages. reinforcing the idea that these liver-resident immune cells may play a sensory role rather than only an inflammatory one.
The authors argue their findings could also help explain magnetoreception in bats and blind mole rats. which don’t have functioning cryptochromes and live in environments with little to no light. They also suggest a possible connection to certain sharks that can swim in straight lines over long distances. One example highlighted is the scalloped hammerhead shark, which seems to orient itself using seamounts that have geomagnetic anomalies.
The broader message goes beyond pigeon behavior. “Beyond magneto reception, our findings contribute to a broader emerging concept: tissue-resident macrophages can function as peripheral sensory cells, providing direct, biologically meaningful feedback to the brain,” the authors concluded.
Not everyone is ready to treat the liver as the final answer. In an accompanying perspective. Simon Spiro of the Zoological Society of London and Hal Drakesmith of the University of Oxford raised caveats that could matter for how confidently the mechanism is pinned down. One concern is that the iron-rich cells in the liver could be influenced by the diet of captive pigeons. since many zoo-housed animals have iron overloads. They also questioned whether the liver is the most likely organ for magnetic sensing. and noted that clodronate dosing could deplete macrophages elsewhere in the body. potentially skewing the histological results.
Their perspective places the new work alongside a competing explanation from a different direction. Spiro and Drakesmith cite a 2025 study. also published in Science. that used a more global methodology and suggested that special cells within the pigeon forebrain encode magnetic information to facilitate navigation. Both proposed mechanisms do not require light stimulation. which leaves open the possibility that pigeons use more than one process at different times—or for different parts of a journey.
“Perhaps one process dominates for long-distance navigation, whereas another is used for more specific destination-finding, with both operating with different degrees of precision,” Spiro and Drakesmith concluded. “Indeed, it could be prudent to have more than one way of getting home in the dark.”
Still. the experiment’s core sequence is hard to ignore: pigeons that could rely on the sun found their way. while those whose suspected magnetic-sensing capability was disrupted did not return home until daylight returned. Whether liver macrophages are the definitive magnetoreceptors—or one of several sensing systems feeding a navigating brain—the study places the mechanics of “how animals know where they are” closer to the tissues and cells where signals first begin.
pigeons magnetoreception magnetic sensing liver macrophages clodronate iron-containing cells homing navigation Science 2026 Simon Spiro Hal Drakesmith
So like… pigeons have magnets in their liver? That’s wild.
I don’t get it, the article says they still found their way back for days after blocking the cells, then they “changed instructions”?? Sounds like the pigeons were just confused by the lab vibes. Also why is the sun out part the fix if magnets are involved?
Wait so the injections basically turned off their GPS lol. But then the sunny test worked? So it’s more about eyesight than magnets. I’m just saying, if it’s cloudy those pigeons probably won’t come back, which feels obvious.
The magnetic-sensing macrophage thing sounds made up ngl. Macrophages are immune cells, right? So now we’re saying they talk to nerve fibers and send magnetic info? Could be true I guess, but the part about clodronate and “following day when sun was out” kinda reads like a timing accident. Also “sharks swim straight lines”… ok sure, next they’ll say my dog uses magnets too.