Posted on May\u00a015,\u00a02013<\/h4>\n\n<\/p>\nBy Kieran Cooke, Climate News Network<\/b><\/p>\n
This piece first appeared at Climate News Network<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\nLONDON\u2013Most birds are acutely sensitive to changes in temperature. Scientists now say that changes in climate and warmer temperatures in parts of Europe have resulted in the migration patterns of certain birds being radically altered.<\/p>\n
A study looking at the migration patterns of three species of duck \u2014 the goldeneye, goosander and tufted duck \u2014 has found there has been a sharp decrease in the number of birds migrating south.<\/p>\n
The study, published in Global Change Biology, examined the migration patterns of the three duck species over the 1980 to 2010 period. It found that mid-winter numbers of individual ducks at the southern edge of the species\u2019 normal distribution range \u2014 in France, Ireland and Switzerland \u2014 had dropped by nearly 120,000.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile mid-winter numbers of the species in Finland and Sweden \u2014 in areas where the ducks breed in summer \u2014 had increased by a similar amount.<\/p>\n
Chas Holt of the British Trust for Ornithology, a co-author of the study, says ornithologists in Finland were the first to notice that numbers of ducks were no longer flying south in winter.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s essentially a fairly gradual shift in behaviour, but it\u2019s clear that a rise in temperatures in regions of Finland and Sweden means the ducks no longer fly south but stay closer to their summer breeding grounds all year round\u201d, Holt told Climate News Network.<\/p>\n
Early winter temperatures in the ducks\u2019 breeding grounds in Finland were found to have increased by 3.8\u00b0C over the 1980 to 2010 period.<\/p>\n
Food under pressure<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a sharp correlation between these shifts in the range of migration and the rise in temperatures\u201d, says Holt.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree decades ago there would have been no open water for the ducks in winter in these north-eastern areas of their normal range. Now there is \u2014 and the ducks don\u2019t have to move so much from their breeding grounds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scientists say that if increasing numbers of birds do not migrate, there\u2019s a risk that habitats will come under increasing pressure as food supplies dwindle.<\/p>\n
They also say that while many bird species have shown an ability to adapt to changes in temperature, many may not be able to alter their behaviour fast enough if temperatures fluctuate rapidly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens if there is an exceptionally cold winter in the midst of a period of relatively mild ones?\u201d asks Holt. \u201cCan birds such as these ducks adapt fast enough and resume their old migration patterns?<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole issue has to be placed in context. We are seeing declines everywhere in various bird species. These changes in migration patterns also mean we have to adapt our conservation strategies as new bird wintering areas are established.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
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Claudio Gennari …”Cogli l’attimo ferma il tempo”<\/a> (CC BY 2.0)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
By Kieran Cooke, Climate News Network<\/b><\/p>\n
This piece first appeared at Climate News Network<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n LONDON\u2013Most birds are acutely sensitive to changes in temperature. Scientists now say that changes in climate and warmer temperatures in parts of Europe have resulted in the migration patterns of certain birds being radically altered.<\/p>\n A study looking at the migration patterns of three species of duck \u2014 the goldeneye, goosander and tufted duck \u2014 has found there has been a sharp decrease in the number of birds migrating south.<\/p>\n The study, published in Global Change Biology, examined the migration patterns of the three duck species over the 1980 to 2010 period. It found that mid-winter numbers of individual ducks at the southern edge of the species\u2019 normal distribution range \u2014 in France, Ireland and Switzerland \u2014 had dropped by nearly 120,000.<\/p>\n Meanwhile mid-winter numbers of the species in Finland and Sweden \u2014 in areas where the ducks breed in summer \u2014 had increased by a similar amount.<\/p>\n Chas Holt of the British Trust for Ornithology, a co-author of the study, says ornithologists in Finland were the first to notice that numbers of ducks were no longer flying south in winter.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s essentially a fairly gradual shift in behaviour, but it\u2019s clear that a rise in temperatures in regions of Finland and Sweden means the ducks no longer fly south but stay closer to their summer breeding grounds all year round\u201d, Holt told Climate News Network.<\/p>\n Early winter temperatures in the ducks\u2019 breeding grounds in Finland were found to have increased by 3.8\u00b0C over the 1980 to 2010 period.<\/p>\n Food under pressure<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cThere is a sharp correlation between these shifts in the range of migration and the rise in temperatures\u201d, says Holt.<\/p>\n \u201cThree decades ago there would have been no open water for the ducks in winter in these north-eastern areas of their normal range. Now there is \u2014 and the ducks don\u2019t have to move so much from their breeding grounds.\u201d<\/p>\n Scientists say that if increasing numbers of birds do not migrate, there\u2019s a risk that habitats will come under increasing pressure as food supplies dwindle.<\/p>\n They also say that while many bird species have shown an ability to adapt to changes in temperature, many may not be able to alter their behaviour fast enough if temperatures fluctuate rapidly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happens if there is an exceptionally cold winter in the midst of a period of relatively mild ones?\u201d asks Holt. \u201cCan birds such as these ducks adapt fast enough and resume their old migration patterns?<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole issue has to be placed in context. We are seeing declines everywhere in various bird species. These changes in migration patterns also mean we have to adapt our conservation strategies as new bird wintering areas are established.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Claudio Gennari …”Cogli l’attimo ferma il tempo”<\/a> (CC BY 2.0)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n