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Changing UK bird population caused by climate change
The changes in our climate are having a big impact on Britain’s bird population, with southern European birds now becoming commonplace in the UK.
The study focused on 42 rare bird species, and showed that the Dartford warbler, Cirl bunting, little egret or Cetti's warbler had become more common in Britain between 1980 and 2004.
Traditional northern European birds such as the fieldfare, redwing or Slavonian grebe, had become less frequent in Britain.
The report was conducted by Durham, Cambridge University and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and concluded that the change in bird population was due to the change in our climate.
This is because birds adapt to the changes in our climate more rapidly than plants and vegetation due to their ability to fly to cooler locations. As such they are a good indicator of future changes to come.