Researchers find jet lag disrupts seabird navigation during ocean flights

Researchers have found that seabirds can suffer from jet lag, and it affects how well they navigate. The study, published in Science on 29 October, looked at Manx shearwaters, a type of seabird that flies very fast across oceans.

Like many birds, Manx shearwaters use the sun as a compass. To do this correctly, they need an internal clock that matches local solar time. This clock tells them where the sun should be at any given moment.

When the birds fly east or west quickly, local time changes faster than their bodies can adjust. Because of this mismatch, they misjudge the sun's position and fly slightly off course.