A new Science study reveals that Manx shearwaters, seabirds capable of flying hundreds of kilometers daily over the North Atlantic, experience jet lag during long flights home from feeding grounds. The jet lag skews their internal biological clock, which in turn disrupts their Sun-based navigation compass. Researchers from the University of Oxford tracked 1,045 birds over 20 years, analyzing 3,688 foraging trips.
They found that as birds travel across longitude, their internal clocks fall four minutes out of sync per degree of longitude covered between sunrise and sunset. This desynchronization causes the birds to misjudge the Sun's position, veering off course clockwise when flying east and anticlockwise when flying west. The study demonstrates that while birds possess an innate biological clock, it requires recalibration at dawn and dusk.
Because these birds navigate using the Sun, the accumulated clock drift creates a measurable navigational error. The research provides the first clear demonstration of jet lag affecting wild animal navigation in their natural environment, moving beyond previous lab studies involving relocated penguins.
Source: Ars Technica · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing