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Moonlight drives the energy balance and annual cycle of a nocturnal forager

Camacho, Carlos LU ; Norevik, Gabriel LU orcid ; Sáez-Gómez, Pedro ; Hidalgo-Rodríguez, Paula ; Rabadán-González, Julio ; Åkesson, Susanne LU orcid and Hedenström, Anders LU (2026) In Science Advances 12(18).
Abstract

Behavioral, physiological, and life-history adaptations to the lunar cycle are global phenomena across trophic levels and ecosystems yet remain poorly understood because of the challenges of studying free-living organisms at night. We show that the lunar cycle regulates both daily foraging activity and foraging success in the red-necked nightjar-a nocturnal avian insectivore-and that moonless periods lead to energy deficits that trigger synchronized energy-conservation responses. These cyclical imbalances cascade into fluctuations in fuel reserves and influence the timing of key annual life-history events, including migration and reproduction, but not molt. Despite adaptations to offset lunar constraints, nightjars' annual cycle remains... (More)

Behavioral, physiological, and life-history adaptations to the lunar cycle are global phenomena across trophic levels and ecosystems yet remain poorly understood because of the challenges of studying free-living organisms at night. We show that the lunar cycle regulates both daily foraging activity and foraging success in the red-necked nightjar-a nocturnal avian insectivore-and that moonless periods lead to energy deficits that trigger synchronized energy-conservation responses. These cyclical imbalances cascade into fluctuations in fuel reserves and influence the timing of key annual life-history events, including migration and reproduction, but not molt. Despite adaptations to offset lunar constraints, nightjars' annual cycle remains governed by the moon's monthly rhythm, underscoring its pervasive influence on nocturnal life.

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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Animals, Energy Metabolism, Moon, Birds/physiology, Feeding Behavior/physiology, Animal Migration, Circadian Rhythm
in
Science Advances
volume
12
issue
18
article number
eaed8204
publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
external identifiers
  • scopus:105037773213
  • pmid:42066076
  • pmid:42066076
ISSN
2375-2548
DOI
10.1126/sciadv.aed8204
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
578fd93c-ded1-44db-9171-f42f4de841e7
date added to LUP
2026-05-04 13:42:30
date last changed
2026-05-12 08:24:47
@article{578fd93c-ded1-44db-9171-f42f4de841e7,
  abstract     = {{<p>Behavioral, physiological, and life-history adaptations to the lunar cycle are global phenomena across trophic levels and ecosystems yet remain poorly understood because of the challenges of studying free-living organisms at night. We show that the lunar cycle regulates both daily foraging activity and foraging success in the red-necked nightjar-a nocturnal avian insectivore-and that moonless periods lead to energy deficits that trigger synchronized energy-conservation responses. These cyclical imbalances cascade into fluctuations in fuel reserves and influence the timing of key annual life-history events, including migration and reproduction, but not molt. Despite adaptations to offset lunar constraints, nightjars' annual cycle remains governed by the moon's monthly rhythm, underscoring its pervasive influence on nocturnal life.</p>}},
  author       = {{Camacho, Carlos and Norevik, Gabriel and Sáez-Gómez, Pedro and Hidalgo-Rodríguez, Paula and Rabadán-González, Julio and Åkesson, Susanne and Hedenström, Anders}},
  issn         = {{2375-2548}},
  keywords     = {{Animals; Energy Metabolism; Moon; Birds/physiology; Feeding Behavior/physiology; Animal Migration; Circadian Rhythm}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{18}},
  publisher    = {{American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)}},
  series       = {{Science Advances}},
  title        = {{Moonlight drives the energy balance and annual cycle of a nocturnal forager}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aed8204}},
  doi          = {{10.1126/sciadv.aed8204}},
  volume       = {{12}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}