ABC: Climate change and extreme heat play a role in decline of tropical bird population, study finds

Australia’s ABC News report on a University of Queensland and Barcelona Supercomputing Centre study that found that climate change is responsible for a nearly 40 per cent decline in the average abundance of tropical bird species since 1950.

From the report:

The joint study from the University of Queensland and Barcelona Supercomputing Centre in Spain, published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, found severe weather events had combined to reduce fertility, alter breeding habits, and kill both young and mature birds.

Using statistical modelling and noting how those bird populations changed after abnormal weather events, the authors were able to specifically assess climate change’s impact on species.

They found a 25-38 per cent decline in the overall abundance of tropical species, largely due to prolonged and extreme heat.

Link.