Climate Change may be bad news for billions - some reports suggest that it could increase death rates - including a spike in death rates in some areas, but scientists have discovered one unlikely winner -a tiny British bird, the long-tailed tit.
Researchers from the University of Sheffield and the British Trust for Ornithology found that the key to the long-tailed tit's survival is warm weather during the spring. Other small animals similar to these birds usually live for only two or three years.
"During spring, birds must work their socks off to raise their chicks," researcher Philippa Gullett said in a statement. "For most small birds that live for only two or three years, not raising any chicks one year is a disaster. They might only get one more chance, so they can't afford to fail."
The researchers findings come from a 20-year study of long-tailed tits run by professor Ben Hatchwell at the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences. The recent work is led by PhD Gullett and Karl Evans from the University of Sheffield, in collaboration with Rob Robinson from the British Trust for Ornithology.
Based on their findings, birds trying to breed in warm and dry springs have much better chances of surviving to the next year -a novel result that counters common assumptions about the cause of death for small birds, according to a press release.
"What seems to be going on is that the tits try to raise their chicks at any cost," Gullett said.
"If it's cold and wet in spring, that makes their job much tougher. Food is harder to find; eggs and chicks are at risk of getting cold. The result is that by the end of the breeding season, the adult birds are exhausted."
Evans said their findings suggest that every single plausible climate change scenario will lead to a further increase in long-tailed survival rates.
"While many species struggle to adjust to climate change, these delightful birds seem likely to be winners," he said.
