Climate change creates new trend of bird migration

By Park Sae-jin Posted : May 23, 2013, 10:54 Updated : May 23, 2013, 10:54
Scientists found that three species of migrating birds preferred to stay on the northern side of Europe due to the rising temperature. Only few birds return to the U.K. for the winter.

For example, birds like tufted duck, goosander and goldeneye are very rarely found in Britain and Ireland during northern Europe’s winter. Their numbers have decreased a lot for the past 30 years. Some of the findings and research analysis done by scientists have been published in the journal Global Change Biology.

It clearly states that in countries like Sweden and Finland which lie in the northern belt, the number of migratory birds increased by 130,000 in 2010 from 1980. On the other hand, the number of birds decreased by almost the same number in Britain, France, Ireland and Switzerland.

Study analysis done by Dr. Richard Hearn from Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) says this migration of birds has resulted in a loss of around 60 percent in birds population in Britain and Ireland.

He also analyzed that temperatures in southern Finland rose by 3.8oC between 1980 and 2010 in winter. Researchers have analyzed the data which was gathered on temperatures over the last three decades and they found that temperatures increased a lot in winter in Europe.

This is the reason why the birds are migrating to countries which are more close to North Pole. Birds don’t want to take the journey which would be more energy intensive by moving to the warmer climate.

Scientists said it is quite interesting that birds are so fast in changing their habitat as per the climate change, and cover a long distance to find suitable place for them. This kind of migration shift is called “short stopping.”

So, this new trend of bird migration requires the international cooperation in bird monitoring, they said.

By Ruchi Singh
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