Bigu-del-Blanco J, Romero-Sierra C
Biotelemetry. 1975;2(6):354-64.
The characteristics of bird feathers as receptors of microwave fields were investigated in the 10- to 16-GHz region. Experiments were conducted coupling the specimen (feather) to a length of waveguide which served, together with other microwave components, as a primary detector. Microwave power radiation patterns were measured both in the presence and in the absence of the specimen. Results indicated a substantial increase in the microwave power collected in the forward direction and a decrease of the radiation pattern beam width when the feather was present. Fruthermore, some experiemental evidence indicated the possibility of inducing piezoelectric effects in the specimen by audiofrequency pulse-modulated microwave fields. These results are important in view of (i) the fundamental role that feathers play in the life of birds and (ii) the influence of environmental factors on bird behaviour.
在10至16吉赫兹频段研究了鸟类羽毛作为微波场感受器的特性。实验中将样本（羽毛）与一段波导耦合，该波导与其他微波组件一起作为主要探测器。分别在有样本和无样本的情况下测量了微波功率辐射模式。结果表明，当有羽毛存在时，向前收集的微波功率大幅增加，辐射模式波束宽度减小。此外，一些实验证据表明，音频脉冲调制微波场有可能在样本中诱发压电效应。鉴于（i）羽毛在鸟类生活中所起的基本作用以及（ii）环境因素对鸟类行为的影响，这些结果具有重要意义。
