Birds, like humans, need adequate sleep for overall health and wellbeing. But do birds require darkness or lights off in order to sleep? The answer is generally yes, most birds do need darkness or lights off to get proper sleep at night. However, there are some variations between different types of birds and their sleep requirements.
Why birds need darkness to sleep
Birds have circadian rhythms, like humans, which are internal cycles that regulate sleep/wake patterns and other physiological processes. Circadian rhythms are synchronized with environmental cues, especially light/dark cycles. For most birds, the presence of light inhibits the release of melatonin, a hormone that induces sleep. Darkness causes increased melatonin release, signaling the bird’s brain that it is nighttime and time to sleep. Having lights on or daylight conditions present at night will disrupt a bird’s melatonin cycles and prevent adequate sleep.
In addition, birds may be visually stimulated by light and activity during periods that are normally dark. This can keep them awake when they should be sleeping at night. Darkness also provides a feeling of safety and isolation from predators during vulnerable sleep periods.
Daylength and sleep cues
The precise daylight length that signals “daytime” versus “nighttime” to a bird depends on the species and time of year. Long summer days with short nights indicate breeding season for many birds, while short winter days with long nights can trigger migration, hibernation, or other seasonal physiological changes. Interrupting normal light/dark signals by having lights on at night can disrupt these biological cycles and processes.
Sleep stages
Like humans, birds progress through different sleep stages, including deep sleep and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Uninterrupted darkness is important for birds to fully cycle through the various sleep stages as needed for health, tissue repair, and mental restoration.
Circadian disruption
Having lights on at night can lead to circadian disruption, meaning a misalignment between a bird’s internal clock and the external light/dark cycle. This can cause sleep disturbances and also disrupt normal hormone profiles, metabolism, and other biological functions that depend on circadian rhythms.
Behavioral effects of light at night
In addition to physiological effects, light at night impacts bird behavior including:
- Singing or calling – Some birds will sing or call at night if lights are present, as they assume it is daytime.
- Foraging – Birds may start looking for food if lights turn on at unusual times.
- Breeding – Extra light may stimulate hormones that trigger premature breeding season.
- Migration – Light pollution can confuse migrating birds and cause them to go off course.
These types of behavioral effects can cause further disruptions to the bird’s energy budgets and biological cycles.
Do all birds need darkness to sleep?
While most birds do require darkness for normal sleep, there are some exceptions. Birds such as pigeons and parrots can adapt to some degree to sleeping with lights on. However, even for adaptable species, it’s ideal to have full darkness at night whenever possible.
Some key differences between species:
- Diurnal species (active during the day) – Strictly need darkness to sleep at night.
- Nocturnal species (active at night) – Able to sleep during daylight, but often prefer darker shelter.
- Crepuscular species (active at twilight) – May be able to adapt to variations in light and darkness.
- Seabirds – Used to sleeping on open ocean under a range of light conditions.
So for species that are specially adapted to variable lighting, having lights on at night may not entirely preclude sleep. But even crepuscular, nocturnal, and seabirds will generally sleep better and more soundly with full darkness.
Sleep requirements by bird
Sleep needs can also vary across different types of birds. Some examples:
- Budgies – 12-14 hours of sleep per day
- Finches – 9-13 hours of sleep per day
- Canaries – 9-15 hours of sleep per day
- Cockatiels – 10-12 hours of sleep per day
- Parakeets – 8-10 hours of sleep per day
- Lovebirds – 9-12 hours of sleep per day
- Parrots – 10-12 hours of sleep per day
- Pigeons – 2-3 hours of sleep per day
- Chickens – 4-6 hours of sleep per day
- Owls – 12-20 hours of sleep per day
In general, smaller birds need more total sleep, while larger birds can get by on less. Diurnal birds need the largest daily sleep quotas. Trained birds may also be conditioned to sleep less than wild birds. But when given the choice, most birds will opt for long nighttime sleep sessions in darkness.
Tips for bird sleep
To help ensure pet birds get the darkness and sleep they need:
- Keep their cages covered at night to block out light.
- Use blinds or curtains to make rooms housing birds dark at night.
- Don’t turn on bright lights near sleeping birds.
- Avoid noisy activities near sleeping birds.
- Make sure birds have a secluded roosting spot if cage is kept partially uncovered.
- Stick to consistent daylight/nighttime schedules whenever possible.
Getting adequate, high quality sleep is crucial for birds’ welfare and healthy functioning. Respecting their need for proper darkness at night will allow domestic birds to meet their biological imperatives for rest.
Wild birds and light pollution
Outdoor lighting from buildings, streetlights, signs and other sources can disrupt sleep and other behaviors of wild birds. Effects of light pollution on wild birds include:
- Delayed bedtime – Bright lights push back bedtime for adjacent birds.
- Premature dawn chorus – Birds start singing earlier before dawn due to light pollution.
- Sleep disturbances – Light trespass and glare can prevent adequate sleep at night.
- Migration disruption – Artificial night lighting can throw off migration patterns for some species.
- Territory changes – Extra light may expand usable territory for some urban-adapted birds.
- Reproductive issues – Light pollution may alter hormonal cycles connected to breeding.
Research suggests even moderate light pollution in urban areas can significantly impact sleep and breeding of wild birds. Dimming lights, using shields, and turning off unused lighting at night would benefit wild bird populations overall.
Conclusion
Most birds, both domestic and wild, rely on darkness to effectively sleep at night. Disruptions from light pollution can interfere with crucial sleep cycles and other biological processes in birds. While some species are able to adapt to artificial lighting conditions to some degree, birds overwhelmingly benefit from full darkness at night whenever possible to get the sleep their bodies require. Being mindful of birds’ need for darkness can help improve welfare for pet birds, and promote healthier ecosystems for wild birds as well.