Climate Change Increases Migration Miles For Birds

Research has been carried out which suggests that climate change could cause tiny birds such as the whitethroat to travel an extra 250 miles, bringing its mileage total up to 3,759.

This extra mileage could mean the difference between life and death for some brids, scientists warn.

The Whitethroat is a warbler, roughly the same size as a great tit, commonly seen in Scotland during the summer where it makes an annual trip, currently 3417 miles from Africa.

The scientists looked at the current migration patterns of European sylvia warblers, a group of birds that are common visitors to Europe.

Dr Stephen Willis, of Durham University who led the research, said that climate change would present the biggest threat to the birds since the last ice age, the Pleistocene era.

Roughly 500 million birds undertake marathon journeys between Europe or Asia and Africa, some birds weighing just 9g, some have to double their body weight in order to store enough energy to make the trip.

Professor Rhys Green, of Cambridge University and the RSPB, added: \"These tiny birds make amazing journeys, pushing themselves to the limits of endurance. Anything that makes those journeys longer or more dependent on rare and vulnerable pit-stop habitats used for refuelling on migration could mean the difference between life and death.\"

The study, by Durham University, the University of Cambridge and the RSPB, was the first to look at the potential impacts of climate change on the breeding and winter ranges of migrant birds.

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