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Do Birds Nap in the Day?

Most birds have sleep patterns similar to humans --- they doze in one stretch at night. However, some birds vary their sleep patterns to suit their habitat or lifestyle. Other birds go long periods with no sleep, or at least sleep significantly less during certain periods of the year. Many birds also spend at least a portion of their sleep half-awake. Napping during the day, however, fits only a specific category of birds and depends on the individual bird's situation.

Sleeping With One Eye Open
- Stanford University reports that many birds will open their eyes and peek around, even when they are asleep. However, this doesn't last the whole night, but only when the bird is lightly dozing. When a bird is in what is called "active sleep," it keeps its eyes shut the entire time. This appears more common in larger flocks, likely as a defense mechanism against predators. Scientists are not sure exactly how much sleep birds need, but peeking doesn't seem to leave them more tired. Males will peek much more often and for longer periods during mating season without any consequences and don't appear to nap during the day to make up for loss of sleep.
Daytime is Time of Activity
- Birds have a lot to do during the day --- hunt for food, take care of young, avoid predators and learn songs --- so in most situations they don't have time for a nap. Nighttime, however, is when birds not only sleep but also commit to memory what they learned during the day. Research conducted at the University of Chicago shows brain activity in zebra finches while they sleep at night, in the same area of the brain the birds use during the day when learning songs. While this same research requires replicating with other bird species, it does indicate birds sleep at night for long stretches to aid in learning.
Birds in Flight
- The one time birds nap with regularity is during nighttime migratory periods. Nighttime migratory birds nap during the day to make up for a lack of sleep after flying all night. These are termed micro-naps. According to Oklahoma University, they might represent an adaptive behavior to make up for loss of regular nocturnal sleep.
How Much Birds Sleep
- Scientists are not entirely sure why birds are primarily diurnal and rarely nap except during night-migratory periods. Birds do adjust how much they sleep according to the season. When days are longer they sleep less, and when short, they sleep more. Near the equator, birds spend an equal amount of time asleep and awake. However, this is only what scientists have observed. Many ornithologists believe that most birds spend time sleeping in flight. If this is the case, when birds take daytime flights, they may very well catch a nap when needed; scientists just haven't figured out a way to observe this behavior.

Animals & Science