Global Warming Affects Icelandic Birds Migration: Arrival Date 2 Weeks Later than 20 Years Ago

Warmer climates due to environmental changes may be causing birds to embark on big migrations earlier in the year, and researchers believe this could have something to do with global warming.

"We have known that birds are migrating earlier and earlier each year - particularly those that migrate over shorter distances. But the reason why has puzzled bird experts for years. It's a particularly important question because the species which are not migrating earlier are declining in numbers," Lead researcher Doctor Jenny Gill from UEA's school of Biological Sciences said, via a press release.

Over the span of 20 years, researchers observed the activities of Icelandic black-tailed godwits. They watched as the birds advanced their migration arrival date by two weeks over throughout the research period.

Though Gill and other researchers note that it would be easy to say that birds are just migrating, the answer is far more complex.

As the researchers have been following the flock for quite some time, they've gained numerous details regarding the individual birds and even the exact ages of the creatures. Older birds for instance were stuck in their ways and still tended to arrive in May, but many younger birds have been arriving as early as April, according to various reports.

"Climate change is likely to be driving this change because godwits nest earlier in warmer years, and birds that hatch earlier will have more time to gain the body condition needed for migration and to find good places to spend the winter, which can help them to return early to Iceland when they come back to breed," Gill said.

Yet global warming and other environmental affects do not seem to have quite the same effect on birds with longer migration periods.

More information regarding the study can be found here.