Nocturnal migratory birds follow rhythm of Moon

Scientists have studied how moonlight affects the red-necked nightjar. The moon determines when the bird feeds, migrates and rears its young.

New Delhi: A long-term study has revealed that moonlight foverns the entire annual cycle of the red-necked nightjar, a migratory bird that breeds in southern Europe and migrates to West Africa in winters. The decade-long study used multi-sensor data loggers in Spain’s Donana National Park, revealing the the feeding, energy management, migration timing and reproduction of the bird are tightly synchronised with lunar phases in a 29-day cycle. When the Moon is full, it allows the birds to hunt for insects........

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