Rising global temperatures are impacting the ability of grassland birds to mate, forcing some males to choose between high-energy mating displays or seeking shelter and saving energy to protect themselves from the heat, according to new research published in the journal PLOS ONE.
Rising global temperatures are impacting the ability of grassland birds to mate, forcing some males to choose between high-energy mating displays or seeking shelter and saving energy to protect themselves from the heat, according to new research published in the journal PLOS ONE.
The study, led by scientists in the United Kingdom, Kenya, Portugal, Spain, and Brazil, examined mating behavior in little bustards, a threatened grassland bird, in the Iberian Peninsula, an area of Europe that has experienced some of the most drastic increases in temperatures and drought due to climate change.
Little bustards, like many bird species, participate in a breeding gathering known as a “lek,” where males try to attract females by standing upright, puffing up their necks, and making a snorting sound. The researchers found that the higher temperatures climbed, the less male little bustards performed their mating displays. If warming trends continue, the species’ mating display activity could decline by as much as 10 percent by 2100. Coupled with extensive habitat loss, scientists warned this temperature-driven decline could cause local or region extinctions.
Read more at Yale Environment 360
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
