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Flying with Climate Change

Birds don’t need to read peer-reviewed studies to figure out that climate change is real: They can see for themselves that spring comes earlier each year and that the proverbial early bird gets more food than his laggard cousins.

Scientists are now reporting that the impact of climate change on migratory birds and numerous small species has been to spur a little evolutionary adaptation. For example, birds making the long trip from Europe to Africa and back are arriving earlier each year, a new study in the journal Science found. It’s not the higher temperatures that clue them in, however. Researchers believe they are responding to the cycle of longer days.

Birds are able to make rapid genetic adaptations because they mature at just one year of age. Likewise, other small animals, such as squirrels and even insects, have been undergoing genetic changes – such as reproducing earlier – in response to our changing seasons. Researchers remain concerned, however, that large animals, which typically respond slower to change, may have trouble adapting to the consequences of global warming and that some species may suffer as a result.

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To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org