Climate change has become a climate catastrophe, say researchers. Earth, water, fire and wind are fighting back and everyone and everything is affected. And that includes the world’s bird population.
Climate change has become a climate catastrophe, say researchers. Earth, water, fire and wind are fighting back and everyone and everything is affected. And that includes the world’s bird population.
New research from Western University’s Advanced Facility for Avian Research (AFAR) is the first to show that birds adjust their physiology during the migratory season to maintain oxygen uptake and movement to flight muscles, with some species exhibiting greater adjustments than others.
Migration, the regular seasonal movement between breeding and wintering grounds, is greatly affected by climate change (specifically global warming) as birds are forced to encounter and endure changing temperatures, changing humidity, changing altitudes and potentially wildfire smoke to stay cool during flight.
“Climate change is going to continue heating up the environment and birds need to fly so they can migrate and breed,” said AFAR co-director Chris Guglielmo and senior author on the study.
