For the Birds?

A paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences analyses data for more than 60 species of European birds, routinely collected in the UK and the Netherlands, between the mid 1960's and the 1990s (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/10/climate-change-fundamentally-affecting-european-birds-study-shows). The study certainly confirmed that European birds are changing, probably as a result of global warming. Some species are becoming smaller whereas others get larger. The timing of egg-laying is also changing in certain species. Although warming seems to be having the most powerful impact, other factors such as urbanisation, pollution (chemical and light) and habitat loss could also be producing shifts in bird characteristics. So, it's not just the flowers and the insects that are having to modify themselves!