Climate change takes a tern for the worse
as a large flock of them swept through Britain on their way up north. The Red Barons of the bird world, these altitude addicts commute 24,000 miles from the Arctic to Antarctica and back every year. (I'll never rant about having to change trains at Tottenham Court Road ever again, honest.)
Given that these '' have to fly so far in the first place, it seems a bit unfair that climate change is now making that journey even harder - and less fruitful.
According to research published in the journal Global Change Biology, today's terns travel further to reproduce and give birth later in the year than they did in the 1930s due to 'changing climate conditions'. In fact, in the last 80 years the breeding date of the tern has advanced by over 18 days.
Did I just hear you say, 'they'll get over it'? Eighteen days may not seem like long to you and I but apparently it makes a big difference to the chicks' chances of growing up into big, healthy birds in the following year.
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