Why jet lag throws even foraging seabirds off course
A 20-year study of Manx shearwaters reveals that these seabirds experience a form of 'jet lag' when flying east, which disrupts their internal clocks and navigation. While adults can compensate for this, younger birds are more likely to be blown significantly off course.
Why it matters
Understanding how biological clocks influence animal migration is crucial for conservation, especially as climate change alters the environments these birds navigate.
Manx shearwaters spend most of their lives at sea and navigate using the sun. Manx shearwaters spend most of their lives at sea and navigate using the sun. Science Why jet lag throws even foraging seabirds off course Oxford study shows Manx shearwaters lose direction when their body clocks get out of sync
Prefer the Guardian on Google Seabirds returning from foraging trips can be thrown hundreds of miles off course by a form of jet lag that arises when their body clocks get out of sync with local time, researchers say.
Tracking data from Manx shearwaters on the west coast of the UK revealed that when the birds returned home to their colonies after trips over the Atlantic, their rapid eastward flights disrupted their sense of time and navigation.
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