Increased temperatures make migratory birds late

According to scientists, geese, ducks and swans often experience winter in the Northern European wetlands recently changing their migration trend due to rising temperatures.

If in Finland, the research team led by Aleksi Lehikoinen found that some water birds migrated later than the previous 30 years, in the UK, the number of common birds This is also decreasing according to the research results of the Bird and Wetland Conservation Organization (WWT), because many species no longer migrate as before.

In particular, of the 15 species of birds surveyed, up to 6 migratory species are much later, typically geese (Anser anser) and crested ducks (Aythya fuligula).

The immigration time of crested ducks (Aythya fuligula) is later than 1 month ago

Explaining the phenomenon, researcher Aleksi Lehikoinen of the University of Helsinki (Finland) said the research done by his team and another series of studies all found that underwater temperatures were rising, even Increases faster than air temperature. Accordingly, food sources for migratory birds will become more abundant than before, keeping them longer.

However, the decrease in the number of migratory birds can significantly affect the wetland habitats. And these are big ecological changes - Dr. Geoff Hilton, WWT's species researcher, said.

Now the team in Finland is hoping to conduct some more detailed studies of Northern European waterbird populations in the winter to determine which species are changing the time of migration to the north and Which species is declining in quantity globally.