As climate change drives earlier spring conditions in the Arctic, birds species that travel there to breed there are under pressure to migrate faster.
As climate change drives earlier spring conditions in the Arctic, birds species that travel there to breed there are under pressure to migrate faster. A new study led by researchers from the University of Amsterdam and the Netherlands Institute of Ecology reveals that many Arctic-breeding waterfowl still have some flexibility when it comes to speeding up their migrations. However, this strategy may only work for a limited time.
The study, published on 9 September in Nature Climate Change, GPS-tracked over 500 spring migrations of five large waterfowl species: brent geese, barnacle geese, greater white-fronted geese, pink-footed geese and Bewick’s swans. Combining the tracking data with long-term body mass data collected from birds in their wintering grounds, the researchers discovered that these birds can reduce the time spent fuelling for their journey, allowing them to arrive earlier in the Arctic.
‘Our results are both encouraging and concerning,’ said lead author Hans Linssen. ‘We show that these birds can migrate faster by adjusting their stopovers and feeding times. But the clock is ticking if we look at the current rates of Arctic warming - this flexibility will only compensate for the advancing Arctic spring for a few more decades.’
Read More: Universiteit van Amsterdam
Photo Credit: reinout_dujardin1 via Pixabay
