Bird divorce rates may be linked to rainfall

Press/Media: ResearchPopular

Description

A 16-year study on a closed population of Seychelles warblers (Acrocephalus sechellensis) on Cousin Island, Seychelles, has uncovered significant findings about how environmental factors – specifically rainfall – affect the stability of pair bonds in birds. The team found that fluctuations in rainfall prior to and during the breeding season significantly influence the likelihood of "divorce" between mates, highlighting the broader implications of climate change for animal reproduction and conservation.

Period25-Nov-2024 → 7-Dec-2024

Media coverage

3

Media coverage

  • TitleEl calentamiento del clima podría provocar la separación de las parejas de pájaros cantores
    Degree of recognitionInternational
    Media name/outletEspanol News
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritorySpain
    Date07/12/2024
    DescriptionEn las islas Seychelles, en el Océano Índico, las pequeñas reinitas de color marrón verdoso se aparean para toda la vida, o al menos para una parte sustancial de ella. Año tras año, machos y hembras traen insectos a los polluelos para que coman mientras defienden vigorosamente el nido de eslizones o aves depredadoras. Estas parejas son notablemente estables y duran hasta 15 años (una buena parte de su esperanza de vida, que puede llegar a los 20 años), y en promedio poco menos del 7 por ciento de las parejas de reinitas se separan cada año.
    URLhttps://espanol.news/el-calentamiento-del-clima-podria-provocar-la-separacion-de-las-parejas-de-pajaros-cantores/
    PersonsHannah Dugdale
  • TitleWhen songbird couples split
    Degree of recognitionInternational
    Media name/outletNautilus
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited States
    Date06/12/2024
    DescriptionOn the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean, little greenish-brown warblers mate for life—or at least a substantial part of it. Year after year, male and female bring the young chick insects to eat while vigorously defending the nest from skinks or predatory birds. These pairings are remarkably stable, lasting up to 15 years—a good chunk of their lifespans, which can reach 20 years—with just under 7 percent of warbler couples separating every year on average.
    Producer/AuthorKatarina Zimmer
    URLhttps://nautil.us/when-songbird-couples-split-1168056/
    PersonsHannah Dugdale
  • TitleBird divorce rates may be linked to rainfall
    Degree of recognitionInternational
    Media name/outletScience Media Exchange - Scimex
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryAustralia
    Date25/11/2024
    DescriptionA 16-year study on a closed population of Seychelles warblers (Acrocephalus sechellensis) on Cousin Island, Seychelles, has uncovered significant findings about how environmental factors – specifically rainfall – affect the stability of pair bonds in birds. The team found that fluctuations in rainfall prior to and during the breeding season significantly influence the likelihood of "divorce" between mates, highlighting the broader implications of climate change for animal reproduction and conservation.
    Producer/AuthorMacquarie University
    URLhttps://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/new-research-reveals-bird-divorce-rates-linked-to-rainfall
    PersonsFrigg Speelman