Climate Change is Troubling Birds According to the Latest Study

It’s been a while now, to be precisely 1978, since researchers started to examine and measure tens of thousands of birds that passed away after collapsing into buildings in Chicago during fall migrations and spring. Their research has documented and dubbed the unbelievable shrinking bird due to climate change.

Recently, a study concerning almost 70,716 dead birds from 1978 to 2016 has been published. It shows that such crashings happen in the third-biggest U.S. city and that their average body dimension regularly declined over that time, even if their wingspans developed.

The findings indicate that a warming climate is the main factor in decreasing some bird species in North America and probably around the world. Such a fact is described as Bergmann’s rule, and it shows how individuals within a species appear to have smaller sizes in warmer regions and bigger in colder countries.

Climate Change is Troubling Birds According to the Latest Study

As for birds species, it might be right to believe that they become smaller over time as temperature increases. For example, larger bodies help animals from cold areas stay warm. A smaller body, however, holds on to less heat.

The research involved an amount of 52 species, such as warblers, sparrows, and thrushes. These species of songbirds usually breed in cold regions of North America and live their cold seasons in areas south of Chicago. Dave Willard, collections manager at the Field Museum in Chicago, explained the importance of the study and what we should expect. He detailed, “Virtually everyone agrees that the climate is warming, but examples of just how that is affecting the natural world are only now coming to light.”

Researchers developed some measurements and weighed the birds that smashed into building windows and found their final way onto the ground. What the future of birds holds, we’re going to find out with the help of researchers who are willing to provide them a solution.

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