Rapid longitudinal flights cause time shifts and Sun compass error.

Manx shearwaters (Puffinus puffinus) show predictable Sun compass orientation errors during homing flights because rapid east-west travel produces endogenous time shifts measured with GPS.

• Why it matters: Reliable Sun-compass navigation depends on matching the internal clock to the Sun’s apparent arc, but longitudinal movement can create clock–local time mismatches that may impair orientation.
• What they did: GPS tracking quantified time shifts during homing flights, and the resulting orientation errors were assessed; Sun-compass use persisted even when coast following provided compass-independent cues.
• The result: The study links GPS-measured time shifts to Sun compass errors in the wild, enabling chronobiology research on how rapid longitudinal movement constrains clock-driven navigation processes.

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