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

By Marta Serafinko Oct 30 (Reuters) People who travel across many time zones, like a trip from London to Tokyo, may experience jet lag, with the body s internal 24-hour clock — the circadian rhythm — thrown out of sync with the local time at the arrival location. A new study shows that birds that fly long distances may experience a similar phenomenon that causes them to ​drift off course. Research involving seabirds called Manx shearwaters found that crossing the Atlantic at speed can throw their internal clocks out ‌of sync with local time, causing errors in the strategy they use to navigate their way home. Birds can use several cues to find their way, including having the sun serve as a compass. A bird flying south sees the sun on its left at sunrise and on its right toward sunset, so it must keep adjusting its heading as the sun moves across the sky. Animals use an internal clock to do this, the same one that tells our bodies when to sleep, when to be active, ‌said Patrick ​Lewi