Meeting Abstract

P3.172  Monday, Jan. 6 15:30  Taking evasive action: response to looming objects during forward flight WILLIAMS, C.D.*; BIEWENER, A.A.; Harvard University; Harvard University charleswilliams@fas.harvard.edu

Flight involving unintentional mid-air collisions is rarely desirable. Successful identification and accurate location of approaching obstacles are essential to collision-free flight. The effects of looming and receding stimuli on tethered and hovering insect and bird systems have been frequently studied. This prior work has demonstrated that optic flow information from such stimuli modulates flight direction. Here we present results from a flight corridor permitting the display of variable looming and receding stimuli to freely flying hummingbirds (A. colubris). Differential avoidance response to towards-bird and away-from-bird object motion is described.