Ducks Carry a Pocket Compass in Their Beaks
Researchers have found that many ducks possess clusters of iron-rich cells at the tip of their upper beak that act like a biological magnetometer. These cells let the birds sense subtle changes in Earth’s magnetic field, giving them a reliable sense of direction even on cloudy nights when stars are hidden. The discovery explains why some ducks can still reach their exact wintering lakes after crossing thousands of kilometers of open ocean.
💡 Fun detail:
Experiments show that placing a small magnet near a duck’s beak briefly scrambles its internal compass, making the bird circle as if lost—until the magnet is removed and the compass resets.
Source: Nature Communications