Many migratory birds do not follow great-circle routes, instead following paths shaped by compass orientation, wind, and geography.

Is it true that many migratory birds do not follow great-circle routes, instead following paths shaped by compass orientation, wind, and geography?

Unclear. The retrieved items only partially address the claim: one modeling study contrasts compass-based simulated routes with great-circle shortest routes, and a review notes topography and compass cues shape migration routes, while a geolocator study and a songbird orientation paper describe species-specific routes without testing great-circle versus compass/wind shaping. No item fully settles whether many migratory birds generally avoid great-circle routes.

Verdict: PARTIAL LEAN · 4 sources for, 0 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Feasibility of sun and magnetic compass mechanisms in avian long-distance migration - PMC Lock. (n.d.). pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-018-0126-4

The Geographical Scale Factor in Orientation of Migrating Birds. (1996). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.199.1.9

Tapia-Harris, C., Izang, A., & Cresswell, W. (2022). Migratory routes, breeding locations and multiple non-breeding sites of Common Whitethroats Curruca communis revealed by geolocators. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274017

Using age‐ratios to investigate the status of two Siberian Phylloscopus species in Europe. (2025). hal.science. https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.13382