Birds grow up because of global warming

Science has proven for several years that the body of birds evolves in accordance with climate change. University of Michigan researchers studied bird populations in North and South America to understand how they respond to current climate changes: 86,000 samples from 129 classifyclassify It has been analyzed over 40 years and the results are in question.

The study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesAnd He examined two types of birds: migratory birds recovered dead from collisions with buildings in Chicago and non-migratory birds. immigrantimmigrant Collected in the Amazon. Both classes evolved in the same way.

American birds are getting smaller and smaller, a finding confirmed with each new study. On the other hand, instead of their wings shrinking at the same rate as the rest of their body, their wings are getting bigger and bigger! The largest changes are seen in the smallest species of birds.

The latter seems to adapt more quickly than the large one as it evolves climateclimate. However, researchers have yet to explain why young birds change so quickly and why their wings grow larger and larger, unlike their bodies.

Article from Natalie MeyerNatalie Meyerpublished on December 5, 2019

Researchers at the University of Michigan (USA), from 1978 to 2016, measured the size of about 70 thousand migratory birds from North America belonging to 52 different species. They found that the size of almost all of these birds had decreased significantly — that is, for them, by 2.4%. while their wingspan increased by 1.3%.

Researchers believe that this phenomenon is related to global warming. In particular because, hidden in the long-term trend, they were able to identify decreases or increases in volume immediately after periods of extreme warming or cooling.

This careful work constitutes the first evidence solidsolid What we have already believed for a long time”explains Benjamin Winger, a researcher at the University of Michigan. Namely Global WarmingGlobal Warming It also affects the size – and even the shape – of birds, and perhaps more broadly to animals.