Bird populations around the world – By Wildlife Conservation Trust
Source : Wildlife Conservation Trust Linkedin
As global temperatures rise, some bird species are producing fewer offspring, according to a study published in March 2023.
Dozens of researchers, collaborating from across the world, examined data for 104 species from 201 bird populations around the world. They investigated changes in the number of offspring these populations produced over 50 years (from 1970 to 2019), a timeframe during which the world has warmed by close to 1 degree Celsius. They found that about 57 percent of the species studied were producing less offspring, while 43 percent were producing more. But the revelation was in the details. Their analysis suggests that birds with larger bodies are more likely to bear the brunt of rising temperatures, producing fewer offspring, and the same holds true for migratory species. On the other hand, smaller, non-migratory birds may be adapting faster to rising temperatures, and in some cases, may even be benefiting from a warmer climate.
Larger birds, and especially those that are migratory, may be slower to adjust to warmer temperatures because they usually produce fewer offspring, take longer to mature, and so have a wider time gap between generations.
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Image: A Montagu’s harrier photographed in Bangalore, India. The species is among those that have experienced a decline in offspring production. [(Photo by Subramanya CK 9 (CC 3.0)]
