Rapid Advance of Spring Arrival Dates in Long-Distance Migratory Birds
Abstract
Several bird species have advanced the timing of their spring migration in response to recent climate change. European short-distance migrants, wintering in temperate areas, have been assumed to be more affected by change in the European climate than long-distance migrants wintering in the tropics. However, we show that long-distance migrants have advanced their spring arrival in Scandinavia more than short-distance migrants. By analyzing a long-term data set from southern Italy, we show that long-distance migrants also pass through the Mediterranean region earlier. We argue that this may reflect a climate-driven evolutionary change in the timing of spring migration.
- Publication:
-
Science
- Pub Date:
- June 2006
- DOI:
- 10.1126/science.1126119
- Bibcode:
- 2006Sci...312.1959J
- Keywords:
-
- ECOLOGY