According to new research published in the scientific journal Bird Study, the wellbeing of birds is being negatively impacted by changing global weather patterns, Earth.com reported.
What's happening?
The study, titled "Unravelling the link between productivity and climate for two sympatric Acrocephalus warblers across Spain," focused on two bird species: the moustached warbler and common reed warbler.
Both are native to the Mediterranean coastal wetlands. The moustached variety was found to have fewer offspring in times of high rainfall and when temperatures climbed too high, while the common reed warbler did not seem to be as affected and even ramped up productivity in higher temperatures.
Why does this mean for the future of the species?
"Warmer temperatures and more frequent heavy rainfall may compromise the conservation of the moustached warbler in Spain due to the adverse effect of both elements on its productivity," Virginia Garófano, a senior research technician at the Research Institute for Integrated Coastal Zone Management, said. "In contrast, higher temperatures may benefit the common reed warbler."
Earth.com noted, "But, the harmony can flip as climate change doesn't only impact productivity but also survival rates."
In other words, changing weather patterns are certainly bad news for one of these two species and could be bad news for both.
This assessment echoes what we've seen happen to many other animal species across the globe, as habitats shrink, food sources diminish, and migratory routes are disrupted as a result of human-caused changes to the climate.
What's being done for the warblers?
The research team behind the study was clear that the single most important thing for protecting future warblers is to protect their wetland habitats by creating climate-resilient management practices that can fortify those habitats against extreme weather events.
More broadly, the best way to protect both the habitats and the animals that live in them is for our society to turn away from polluting forms of dirty energy such as gas and oil and focus instead on clean, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.
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