Birds at Rest

Birds need sleep as much as we do, and they have evolved some unique habits to match their intensely energetic lifestyles. Ornithologist and author Roger Pasquier discusses the evolution and benefits of avian sleep, including recent discoveries that some long-distance flyers can even sleep while in flight! Other birds sleep in short bouts of several seconds or a few minutes, then wake up to look around for danger before going back to sleep. Human impacts like artificial light, noise and climate change are changing how and where birds can get a good night’s rest.

A book signing for Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep (2025) follows the program.

This program is cohosted by the Essex County Ornithological Club and made possible by a gift from The Essex Charitable Foundation.