Even without a wristwatch, birds have a sense of time. Like many other simple and complex organisms, birds maintain an internal clock that can operate independently of the environment. The pineal gland is responsible for the cyclic release of melatonin, which helps modulate the circadian rhythm . The timing of daylight resets a bird's internal clock. But its internal clock keeps ticking even in constant darkness, and the period of one cycle of activity and rest is still 24 hours.
Some animals also possess a circannual rhythm .
These seasonal rhythms may be triggered or controlled by the biological clock. Both circadian and circannual rhythms play a role in the migratory behavior of birds. The white-crowned sparrow migrates each year from its wintering grounds in the southwestern United States to the Arctic to breed. As the number of daylight hours increases, light reaches the brains of sparrows at a particularly sensitive time in their circadian cycle. As a result, hormones are released, and gonadal development is stimulated.