Pigeons' ability to track the magnetic field has stunned scientists for decades. Studies have shown that their navigational ability to track the magnetic field could possibly be from a part of the inner ear called the lagena. David Dickman and Le-Qing Wu at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston Texas conducted a research testing pigeons' magnetic field by cancelling earth's magnetic field and creating an artificial one to monitor the brain activity.Vestibular neurons which is the balance system in the inner ear was found fired to different alterations in the field's direction. Other scientists have conducted research to figure out how these birds navigate the magnetic field. It seems that so far, most of the researches agree on the conclusion that the inner ear, eyes, and beak plays a role in their navigational abilities.
http://www.nature.com/news/pigeons-may-hear-magnetic-fields-1.10540
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