Hotter European summers spell danger for migratory birds - BTO

New research, published today (Monday 10 November) by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and Durham University, suggests that many migratory bird species are struggling to adapt to the effects of changes in the climate.

Climate change is a major threat to biodiversity, and migratory birds such as the Swallow and Willow Warbler are particularly vulnerable, due partly to their reliance on reliable sources of food and appropriate habitat across a network of sites at specific times in their life cycle.
With population declines being recorded across the continent in many of these long-distance avian travellers, researchers set out to understand how changes in climate may be contributing to these downturns. Concentrating on more than 30 bird species which migrate between Africa and Europe, scientists looked at the condition of birds at key times to assess their ability to migrate over long distances.
Prior to making long and potentially perilous journeys across the Mediterranean and then the Sahara Desert, these birds are required to increase their weight significantly to complete these tasks of remarkable endurance. This ‘migratory fuel-load’ ensures that the birds can fly thousands of kilometres over hostile environments without the need to stop and ‘refuel’.