Drought in Africa delayed arrival of European Songbirds

The late spring arrival of several European songbirds puzzled bird watchers and researchers in 2011. Especially since many of these trans-Saharan migratory bird species have been shown to arrive progressively earlier over the last 50 years due to climate change.

In a study published in Science, December 6th, CAnMove researchers in collaboration with Danish collegues reveal that the delay of red-backed shrikes and thrush nightingales in 2011 was caused by a prolongation of stopover time during spring migration at the Horn of Africa, which was affected by extreme drought. To the publication!