Brain activity in Cluster N and the hippocampus in non-migratory zebra finches completing a spatial orientation task using magnetic compass information

The songbird brain region called Cluster N has been implicated as important for low-light vision and/or the perception of Earth's magnetic field for migratory orientation. This region of the visual Wulst is active in migratory songbirds under dim light conditions and an intact Cluster N is necessary for magnetic compass orientation in a nocturnally migrating songbird species. Given that magnetic field information is useful for orientation outside of a migration context, it is likely that Cluster N processes magnetic compass information more generally. Zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) can use magnetic compass cues to find food in a plus maze, even though they are not nocturnal migrants. Our objective was to determine if Cluster N is active when zebra finches use their magnetic compass to orient in a plus maze. Zebra finches were tested under three conditions: i) a static magnetic field that reliably indicated the food location, ii) a sweeping magnetic field, or iii) a vertical magnetic field. The latter two conditions did not provide any directional information. Brains were collected following the task and processed to label the immediate early gene zenk. We found elevated Zenk immunoreactivity in the forebrain region defined as Cluster N in other species and in the hippocampus. We found no differences in Zenk between the three magnetic field conditions, providing no conclusive evidence for whether Cluster N is involved in the processing of magnetic compass information. In conclusion, our results are consistent with the idea that Cluster N is not a brain area restricted to nocturnally migrating songbirds, but that it is also found in non-migratory birds carrying out a spatial orientation task, possibly involving magnetic compass cues, under dim light conditions.