--- title: "Manx Shearwaters Experience Jet Lag During Long-Distance Flights" url: https://noti.group/manx-shearwaters-experience-jet-lag-during-long-distance-flights/ language: en publisher: "Noti Group" section: "Technology" published: 2026-10-31T11:15:26.000Z updated: 2026-10-31T14:50:09.981Z id: 388ea845-7988-4007-b7c7-6fbacecc8d7b source: "Ars Technica https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/10/seabirds-racing-home-over-the-ocean-can-get-jet-lagged/" attribution: "Link to https://noti.group/manx-shearwaters-experience-jet-lag-during-long-distance-flights/ and name Noti Group when you quote or summarize this story." --- # Manx Shearwaters Experience Jet Lag During Long-Distance Flights Research published in Science reveals that Manx shearwaters suffer from jet lag during their long-distance flights, affecting their internal clock and navigation system. Seabirds that traverse multiple time zones while migrating over the ocean can experience jet lag, just like humans do when crossing different regions in the world. This phenomenon is not exclusive to humans and has been observed in Manx shearwaters, a species of seabird that flies hundreds of kilometers daily across the North Atlantic. Research published in Science reveals that these birds suffer from jet lag during their long-distance flights, which affects their internal clock and navigation system. As a result, their compass is skewed due to this disruption. This study highlights the intricate relationship between the birds' physical movements and their ability to navigate using celestial cues. The lead author of the study, Patrick Lewin, explains that Manx shearwaters are medium-sized birds with distinctive black-and-white plumage and long wings, closely related to albatrosses. They primarily nest in burrows on coastal islands around the North Atlantic, with a significant population residing in Wales. Manx shearwaters undertake impressive journeys to feed, traveling anywhere from dozens of kilometers to over 1,000 kilometers into the Atlantic Ocean. To navigate their return journey, these birds rely on their innate ability to determine their location using a mental map and then employ the Sun as a compass to set their course. The implications of this study are significant, shedding light on the complex mechanisms governing the migratory patterns of seabirds. The researchers' findings also raise questions about how these birds adapt to changes in their environment and whether human activities affect their ability to navigate and migrate effectively. The internal clock that guides Manx shearwaters' navigation across vast distances over the ocean is not as precise as previously thought. This built-in clock allows birds to adjust their course according to the position of the Sun in the sky, but it has a flaw. Every time the birds cross a longitudinal line between sunrise and sunset, their internal clock drifts by four minutes relative to local time. This discrepancy affects their ability to accurately determine where the Sun should be in the sky, leading them to veer off course when flying east or west. Researchers had previously observed this phenomenon in other bird species through experiments involving captive penguins. However, Lewin's team was able to provide clear evidence of this effect in wild Manx shearwaters by analyzing a large dataset collected over several years. The study's findings suggest that the birds' internal clocks are not perfectly calibrated, which raises questions about how these animals adapt to changes in their environment and whether human activities impact their ability to navigate effectively. The researchers have been studying the behavior of shearwaters, a type of seabird, using GPS tags that were first small enough for the birds in 2004. Over two decades, the team collected data from 1,045 birds and their 3,688 foraging trips along the UK's western coasts. Foraging trips can last anywhere from one day to two weeks, but homeward flights are a distinct mode of flight characterized by long, straight-line journeys without extended stops. According to Lewin, when shearwaters decide it's time to return to their colonies, they enter this high-speed mode and fly as fast as possible. To determine the birds' internal clocks, the researchers calculated where each bird last saw the sunrise, marking the point at which its clock should have matched local time. From there, they tracked how far east or west each bird traveled since that point, as well as how much this would affect its Sun compass. The researchers then compared these predictions with actual GPS data to see how much each bird deviated from its course while heading back to its burrow. This comparison provides insights into the birds' internal clocks and their ability to adapt to changes in their environment. The time difference between the birds' internal clocks and their solar compass orientation was relatively small, about an hour at most in most cases, according to researchers. This discrepancy had a noticeable effect on the birds' navigation, causing them to veer off course by up to 15 degrees, although this was still within what would be considered acceptable for these skilled navigators. The team's analysis suggested that other factors such as crosswinds or magnetic compass influences did not account for the observed biases. The researchers accounted for various potential sources of error in their data, including the Coriolis effect and the influence of a magnetic compass, but none of these explanations fit the data well. Instead, the observed biases closely matched what would be expected from the birds' reliance on the Sun compass to navigate. The navigational errors caused by this jet lag were not as severe as might have been anticipated, given that the birds could potentially correct their course if they noticed a drift in their position. In fact, for a bird flying 1,000 kilometers east in a single day, the average error due to jet lag would be around seven degrees. This relatively small increase in navigational errors is likely due to the birds' ability to continually monitor and adjust their course as needed, which would add only a minimal distance - about five kilometers - to their overall journey. The study on Manx shearwaters' navigation systems has revealed an interesting phenomenon - even when following coastlines, these birds still exhibit navigational errors that are dependent on their expected compass error. This behavior is not unique to seabirds; a similar finding was observed in homing pigeons two decades ago at the University of Oxford. Researchers have proposed that birds may use two parallel navigation systems: one based on the compass and another on familiar landmarks. However, an alternative explanation for this behavior suggests that the birds may be using the Sun to determine their direction when they are near a coastline. This would mean that they don't necessarily know exactly where they are in relation to the coast, but can still use celestial navigation to guide themselves. Lewin's study has not been able to investigate whether Manx shearwaters experience other symptoms of jet lag, such as poor sleep or changes in appetite. The researcher notes that further investigation is needed to explore these questions and understand the full extent of navigational challenges faced by birds during long-distance migrations. One of the next steps for Lewin's team will be to examine how time shifts affect the birds' behavior, including their foraging patterns, food intake, and breeding success. This would provide valuable insights into the impact of jet lag on seabird populations. Researchers believe that it is likely that many animals experience navigational challenges similar to those faced by Manx shearwaters during long-distance migrations. Lewin's study highlights the need for further research into this area, particularly in the context of designing bio-inspired autonomous navigation systems. The study's findings suggest that any living being with an internal clock that undergoes significant east-west shifts in a single day could experience jet lag effects. This phenomenon is particularly common among fliers and animals near the poles, where densely packed lines of longitude make even small changes in longitude have a significant impact on their circadian rhythms. The researchers propose that studying these organisms may provide valuable insights into ways to mitigate the negative health impacts associated with prolonged exposure to jet lag in humans. Further research is needed to explore whether animals that constantly experience jet lag have developed coping mechanisms, and if so, what these might be, potentially providing a basis for developing new strategies to counteract the effects of jet lag in humans. --- Source: [Ars Technica](https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/10/seabirds-racing-home-over-the-ocean-can-get-jet-lagged/) Published by Noti Group: https://noti.group/manx-shearwaters-experience-jet-lag-during-long-distance-flights/