Global warming makes it harder for birds to mate, study finds

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-09/uoea-gwm091719.php

News Release 17-Sep-2019
University of East Anglia

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The study examined the threatened grassland bird Tetrax tetrax, or little bustard, classified as a 'Vulnerable' species in Europe, in order to test how rising temperatures could affect future behaviour.

The males spend most of their time in April and May trying to attract females in a breeding gathering known as a 'lek'. In leks, to get noticed, males stand upright, puff up their necks, and making a call that sounds like a 'snort'. They also use this display to defend their territory from competing breeding males.

The international team of researchers - from the UK, Kenya, Portugal, Spain and Brazil - found that high temperatures reduced this snort-call display behaviour. If temperatures become too hot, birds may have to choose between mating and sheltering or resting to save their energy and protect themselves from the heat.

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