Dead in their nests or washed ashore: why thousands of seabirds are dying en masse

Dead in their nests or washed ashore: why thousands of seabirds are dying en masse

Twenty years ago, David Grémillet, a seabird ecologist, watched in dismay as a heatwave hit a breeding colony of Cape gannets in Lambert’s Bay, South Africa, causing dozens of birds to keel over. An unseasonably hot wind sent temperatures to 40C (104F), too intense even for the heat-adapted birds. While guarding their nests, they baked […]

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The most awe-inspiring and exuberant birds are facing extinction first – let’s stop nature becoming boring

The most awe-inspiring and exuberant birds are facing extinction first – let’s stop nature becoming boring

For decades ecologists have been warning about the homogenisation of diversity – species becoming more alike – in the living world. Now, researchers at the University of Sheffield have published research predicting that bird species with striking and extreme traits are likely to go extinct first. “The global extinction crisis doesn’t just mean that we’re […]

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