How light pollution is affecting bird behaviour

EARLY BIRDS

- THE WASHINGTON POST

IT’S 2am. You’re snoozing in bed. The sun hasn’t risen, but the robin has. It is tuk-tuk-tuk-ing at an unnatural hour, waking you up.

If this has happened to you, you're not alone. Around the world, streetlights, store signs and skyscrapers are pouring artificial light into the night, and all that extra illumination is prompting birds to tweet for nearly an extra hour a day on average, according to a sweeping analysis of more than 4 million bird call recordings.

“The day is effectively longer for these birds,” said Neil Gilbert, an Oklahoma State University ecologist who co-wrote the study published in the journal Science.

The finding is another sign of how brightening the night is altering the health of both ecosystems and human beings. Light pollution is upending the lives of birds and other organisms that depend on the rhythms of the sun to find food and mates.