Some birds just can’t resist a midnight serenade…. But why?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Light pollution currently affects nearly a QUARTER of the Earth. And that might be the reason our feathered friends are staying up!
Brent Pease and Neil Gilbert from Southern Illinois and Oklahoma State University studied over five hundred bird species worldwide.
They found birds in bright areas sang for almost an hour longer each day.
Species with big eyes, open nests, or long migrations are hit hardest — especially during breeding season.
They get less sleep… but more time to forage for their chicks. Sound familiar?
An extra hour for singing and loving? Psh, that’s for the birds!
Reference: Pease, B. S., & Gilbert, N. A. (2025). Light pollution prolongs avian activity. Science, 389(6762), 818–821. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adv9472