Long-distance flights can interfere with the internal clocks of seabirds

Long-distance flights may disrupt the internal body clock of seabirds, causing them to become lost, according to a new study. The research focused on Manx shearwaters, which can travel up to 1,000 km (620 miles) in search of food from their British colonies. Scientists discovered that crossing the Atlantic Ocean at high speed can throw the birds' internal clocks out of sync with local time, leading to errors in their navigation strategy.

Birds use the sun as a compass to adjust their heading as it moves across the sky, but crossing vast stretches of open water can cause their internal clocks to remain set to the time at dawn, leading them to make incorrect heading adjustments. While the study did not investigate the broader effects of this clock mismatch, researchers suggest that internal clocks influence behaviors such as feeding and rest periods, which could be affected if the birds' schedules are mistimed.