Natural History Wanderings

Audubon reports

We already know that climate change isn’t making things easy for birds—it’s led to a recent upswing in disease and starvation among avians all around the world. And now we can add another danger to that list: sibling rivalry in Zebra Finches. Normally this isn’t a problem with these finches, as all the chicks are supposed to hatch at the same time. But in Australia, a steep rise in atmospheric temperatures is leading some Zebra Finches to emerge early and gain an elder-sibling advantage, according to recent research published in Royal Society Open Science. This slight edge allows bigger first-borns to get more food from their parents, lowering the odds that other chicks in the nest will survive.

Read full story at Is Climate Change Making It Harder for Finch Families to Get Along? | Audubon