Spring conditions in the Mediterranean affect migrants breeding in the UK (BTO)
Wood Warbler (BTO) Migrant birds are likely to be particularly vulnerable to climate change because they can be affected by changing conditions on the breeding grounds, wintering grounds or passage areas in between. Many long distance migrants that breed in the UK and winter in Africa are in severe decline , and previous BTO work has shown this can be related to changing conditions in Africa , which affect overwinter survival, as well as to conditions on British breeding grounds . BTO research published last year showed that although conditions in Africa can ‘carry-over’ and affect the timing of nesting in this country, the most important factor influencing breeding was spring temperature in the UK. A new study by the BTO and the University of Sheffield builds upon the work by considering the impacts of climatic variation in passage regions, as well as the breeding and non-breeding grounds. It focuses on three declining migratory s...