[Animals] El cambio climático está cambiando la migración y los cuerpos de las aves

[-𝓣𝓐𝓚𝓘]

Birds have followed the same fall migration route for millions of years, and climate change is changing it
With autumn on the doorstep, thousands of birds embark on the migratory route to their winter homes. Unfortunately, climate change is irremediably affecting the travel of dozens of species. As if that were not enough, the physiology of the birds has also been affected by the extreme weather that the species has faced in recent years.

We suggest: Bird "sighting" for blind people expands inclusion in Colombia

the migratory route
In order to carry out proper research, scientists take it upon themselves to identify birds with small bands. These identifiers allow each individual in a flock to be distinguished. The bands also include a satellite locator. Thus, the migratory details of the birds have been recorded.

According to the data, one of the key factors that have modified the routes of the birds is the environmental conditions. In Canada, for example, 63 of the 96 migratory bird species arrive before spring and leave later in the fall as winters get shorter.

“ONE OF THE MOST COMMON REACTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE IS CHANGE IN MIGRATION,” EXPLAINS MARKETA ZIMOVA, PROFESSOR AT APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY. “FLOWERS BLOOM EARLIER IN THE SPRING OR ANIMALS MIGRATE EARLIER TO THEIR BREEDING AREAS.”

Despite the detailed record, an article published in the journal Science ensures that efforts to care for these birds are not enough. According to this research, only 9% of the 1,451 species of migratory birds are adequately protected throughout each stage of their annual cycle. In North America, the po[CENSORED]tion fell by 54% between 2007 and 2017. Much of this figure is due to habitat loss.

Change in the bodies of birds
Habitats are not the only thing that changes. A study recently published in the Journal of Animal Ecology looks at how climate change has affected the bodies of migratory birds. In the research led by Marketa Zimova, the team argues that the relationship between changes in bird migration and their bodies is indisputable.

“THIS INCREDIBLE DATABASE OF OVER 70,000 MIGRATORY BIRDS WAS PERFECT FOR TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THE BODY OF ANIMALS IS CHANGING IN RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE,” ZIMOVA SAYS

Climate change has caused birds' bodies to become smaller and their wings longer. The group of researchers proposed that the birds that presented a more significant increase in the size of their wings were those that migrated earlier during the spring; the longer the wings, the faster and more efficient the flight.

The results were completely different. They realized that these two factors are not necessarily related and that "animal responses to climate change are much more complex than we usually think."

https://www.ngenespanol.com/animales/la-ruta-migratoria-de-las-aves-esta-cambiando-a-causa-del-cambio-climatico/