Journal
JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY
Volume 145, Issue 3, Pages 264-268Publisher
SPRINGER HEIDELBERG
DOI: 10.1007/s10336-004-0035-8
Keywords
breeding biology; climate change; egg size; long-term study
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
From some life-history traits, avian egg size can be postulated as potentially affected by climate change. In this paper, we present and discuss the potential effect of mean temperature in the breeding season on egg size of the red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio). During the 1971-2002 study period, egg volume of the red-backed shrike decreased significantly, birds arrived at the breeding site significantly earlier, and arrival date was correlated with the earliest first egg date. To our knowledge, we present the first evidence that avian egg size decreased significantly in a long-term study. However, we do not have experimental manipulations in support of our data and we can only conclude that the decrease in egg volume in the studied population might result as a consequence of a number of factors, including changes in temperature, as well as in food supply. Therefore climate change effects on a bird's life-history traits can be more complex than just the simple direct effect of temperature.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available