A new study has made a disturbing discovery. Birds are at risk of starvation and disappearance due to climate change
Birds are at risk of starvation due to climate change. While the difficulties faced by some species are evident, so far not much was known about the fate of birds and the effects of global warming on their lives.
A new study by researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and Cornell University has made a disturbing discovery, based on a set of data collected over 30 years. According to the research, birds always breed earlier and this is not good news.
Surviving on a warming planet may be a matter of timing, but simply moving and changing life cycle stages to adapt to the pace of climate change has hidden dangers for some animals, including birds.
The researchers studied a population of tree swallows in Ithaca, New York, which was the focus of a lengthy 30-year experiment. Studies of this length are rare in the field of ornithology. This allowed them to analyze a series of long-term data on tree swallow reproduction, daily insect abundance and weather conditions.
“Long-term studies like these are essential for understanding how and why species are affected by climate change. They can also provide valuable insights into how organisms function, interact and evolve in complex ecological networks, ”explained Maren Vitousek, a professor at Cornell University.
Birds are no longer able to adapt to the changing climate
Researchers, who have examined decades of data on the weather, food availability of swallows say the time of breeding and when food is available is becoming decoupled for some animals.
In recent years, studies have raised concerns about whether or not species may adapt to climate change. The new study found that early mating and consequently premature birth can expose animals to a greater risk of exposure to adverse weather events that tend to occur more frequently at the beginning of the year.
The study, published in PNAS, found the serious consequences for these animals that unknowingly reproduce earlier to "synchronize" with the early onset of spring. If the climate changes, animals try to keep up but do not always succeed and when they do this can be harmful. For example, chicks that hatch earlier face an increased risk of bad weather, food shortages, and early mortality.
“Simply anticipating dates to keep pace with climate change is not without risk. Risky conditions at the start of the year can expose animals to unwanted consequences when they have to adjust to the unusually warm spring weather, ”said Ryan Shipley, of the Max Planck Institute and first author of the paper.
"Our findings raise the possibility that animals that rely on food resources that can change rapidly due to the weather may be at particular risk from climate change," continues Shipley.
Hungry and increasingly weak birds
The study also highlighted the heavy consequences on the birds' fitness but may also provide clues to an as yet unsolved mystery: aerial insectivorous birds, such as swallows, swifts and flycatchers, are declining faster than other groups across much of North America and of Europe. In fact, due to the anticipation of the arrival of spring, they are unable to find the insects they eat and whose activity is determined by the weather.
“For birds that eat flying insects, one day is a celebration, the next is famine,” says Shipley. "Considerable attention has been paid to the potential widespread decline in insect populations and this could hit insectivorous birds particularly hard."
Hungry and confused, this is how birds live because of man.
Sources of reference: Cornell University, Pnas
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