Migratory seabirds experience jet lag during rapid long distance flights

Science News reported on October 29 that fast long distance flights can unlink the internal biological clocks of migratory birds from the position of the sun. Researchers analyzing decades of tracking data discovered that rapid east-west journeys cause a mismatch akin to human jet lag, which scrambles the navigational abilities of the birds. [1]

The study focused on the Manx shearwater, known scientifically as Puffinus puffinus. Science News reported that the seabirds fly fast enough during foraging trips for their internal time to fall out of sync with local solar time, which skews their sense of direction while navigating. [1]

Seabirds spend the majority of their lives at sea and belong to several bird families across multiple orders. According to Wikipedia, returning to land to nest in colonies is the primary reason these marine birds leave the open ocean. [2]