# Editorial: A seabird's 'jet lag' shows how a sun compass can mislead a sure navigator

URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-08/manx-shearwater-sun-compass-editorial/
Date: 8 November 2026 (2026-11-08)
Source: Indian Express, Editorial
UPSC papers: GS3, GS4
Publisher: upsc.help (Pratidin), free and open-source UPSC Civil Services current affairs. Not affiliated with UPSC. Every fact was checked against the source reports by a separate review before publishing.

**In one line:** Manx shearwaters steer by the Sun using their body clocks, and when long eastward flights leave those clocks behind local time, the birds drift slightly off course, a seabird version of jet lag.

The Indian Express editorial of 8 November 2026, 'The bird that follows the Sun, and steps out of time', draws on a new study of the Manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus), a seabird closely related to the albatross that nests on islands off the western coasts of Britain and Ireland. University of Oxford researchers, including behavioural ecologist Patrick Lewin, analysed about two decades of GPS tracking data, covering 1,045 birds and 3,688 foraging trips over the Atlantic. The work, published in the journal Science in late October 2026, found that long flights across time zones can throw the birds' internal clocks out of step with local solar time, much like human jet lag.

The birds appear to use the Sun as a compass. To do that, an animal must know the time of day, because the Sun's position in the sky changes as the Earth turns. When shearwaters fly east, their internal clocks can lag local time by up to an hour, so they misjudge where the Sun should be. The researchers found that eastward-flying birds tended to drift clockwise, which fits a clock running behind. Their models showed this pattern was better explained by sun-compass errors than by changes in the Earth's magnetic field. The errors persisted even when birds flew along visible coastlines: they flew closer to shore when the predicted error pointed towards land and farther out to sea when it pointed away, suggesting they kept trusting the Sun.

The errors were small and did not stop birds from getting home, because they can reassess their position and correct course as they go. The editorial uses the finding to make a wider point. It links the birds' problem to human jet lag, opens with Alan Lightman's novel 'Einstein's Dreams', and argues that a creature can be entirely confident of its destination and still go astray because of a small, invisible internal error. Its lesson is to hold one's assumptions with humility, however well-founded they seem. For aspirants, the story is a clear example of how biology and astronomy interact in animal migration, a theme Prelims has tested through migratory birds such as the Amur falcon.

## Prelims facts

- A University of Oxford study of Manx shearwaters, published in Science in October 2026, used about 20 years of GPS data on 1,045 birds and 3,688 foraging trips.
- Shearwaters use a sun compass, which requires knowing the time of day; flying east can leave their internal clocks up to an hour behind local time.
- Eastward-flying birds drifted clockwise, a pattern better explained by sun-compass error than by changes in the Earth's magnetic field.
- The birds kept relying on the Sun even over visible coastlines, though the errors were small and correctable.
- The Indian Express editorial uses the finding to argue that confidence in a destination does not guarantee the right route.

## Quick recall

- **Which bird was studied for 'jet lag' in navigation?** The Manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus).
- **Which university led the Manx shearwater navigation study?** The University of Oxford (lead analyst Patrick Lewin).
- **How many birds and trips did the study analyse?** 1,045 birds and 3,688 foraging trips, from about 20 years of GPS data.
- **In which journal was the study published?** Science (October 2026).
- **By how much could the birds' clocks lag after flying east?** Up to an hour behind local time.
- **Which way did eastward-flying shearwaters drift?** Clockwise.
- **How fast does the Sun appear to move across the sky?** About 15 degrees an hour (360 degrees in 24 hours).
- **What was the Indian Express editorial's title?** 'The bird that follows the Sun, and steps out of time' (8 November 2026).

## Prelims practice question

Consider the following statements about the sun compass used by migratory birds:
1. To use the Sun for direction, a bird must account for the time of day.
2. A bird whose internal clock lags behind local time will misjudge the Sun's position.
3. A sun compass works independently of the bird's circadian (body) clock.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only. 1 is correct: the Sun's position shifts through the day, so the compass must be time-compensated. 2 is correct: the Manx shearwater study found birds whose clocks lagged after eastward flights misjudged the Sun and drifted clockwise. 3 is wrong: the sun compass depends on the internal clock, which is exactly why 'jet lag' throws it off.

## UPSC previous-year questions this connects to

- UPSC Prelims 2026, Prelims: Which of the following statements with regard to the arrival of Amur Falcons at Doyang Lake in Nagaland each year from Mongolia is/are correct?
1. It showcases how sustained local conservation efforts can contribute to the arrival and protection of international migratory birds.
2. It reflects the global success of advanced tracking technologies that guide migratory birds back to their stopover sites.
3. It confirms that Amur Falcons have adapted to permanent residency in India due to favourable habitat changes.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2
(c) 2 and 3
(d) 3 only (https://upsc.help/pyq/prelims/#q373)
- UPSC Mains 2019, Essay: Wisdom finds truth (https://upsc.help/pyq/#q374)
  How to use this story in the answer: Use the shearwater as an opening or closing illustration that certainty is not the same as truth, and that wisdom means checking one's own assumptions.

## Mains practice question

What is a time-compensated sun compass? With reference to the recent study on Manx shearwaters, explain how an animal's internal clock can affect its navigation. (150 words)

### Model answer

A time-compensated sun compass is a navigation method in which an animal uses the Sun's position for direction, correcting for the time of day with its internal (circadian) clock, since the Sun appears to move about 15 degrees an hour.

## The shearwater study
- Oxford researchers analysed about 20 years of GPS data: 1,045 Manx shearwaters and 3,688 foraging trips over the Atlantic (Science, October 2026).
- After flying east, birds' clocks lagged local time by up to an hour, like jet lag.
- They drifted clockwise, which sun-compass error explains better than magnetic changes.
- Birds kept trusting the Sun even along visible coastlines.

## What it shows
- Navigation depends on a precise internal clock, not only on external cues.
- Errors were small and correctable, as birds reassess their position.
- The researchers say the next step is to understand how such errors affect the birds.

The study shows biology and astronomy working together in the open ocean, and the limits of even well-tuned instincts.

## The basics

## Why this matters
Animal navigation is a recurring theme in Prelims science and environment questions, often through migratory birds. This study gives a clean, testable idea: a bird steering by the Sun must know the time, and a body clock knocked out of step by long flights can send it slightly off course. It also offers an Essay and Ethics illustration about certainty and error.

## How a sun compass works
The Earth turns 360 degrees in about 24 hours, so the Sun appears to move across the sky by about 15 degrees an hour. A bird that wants to fly west at 9 am must hold the Sun at a different angle than at 3 pm. That is why it is called a Time-compensated sun compass: the bird corrects for the time using its Circadian rhythm.

## What the study found

## The bird and the bigger lesson
The Manx shearwater is an ocean wanderer that returns to island burrows, so it must find its way over open sea. Its problem is a form of Jet lag, the same mismatch human travellers feel. The Indian Express editorial turns this into a reflection: confidence in a destination does not guarantee the right route, and the wiser course is to hold assumptions with humility. That is a useful example for Essay topics on wisdom, truth and certainty.

## Exam angle
For Prelims, remember that the sun compass is time-compensated and depends on the internal clock. For Mains GS3, use it as an example of science explaining everyday phenomena such as jet lag across species.

## Sources

- https://realmocks.com/editorial/lost-in-time-what-a-seabird-teaches-about-certainty-8-nov-2026
- https://www.hppr.org/npr-news/2026-10-29/even-birds-get-jet-lagged-study-shows
- https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/birds/seabirds-internal-clock-jet-lag
- https://www.wfae.org/science-environment/2026-10-29/even-birds-get-jet-lagged-study-shows