From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

By Paul Homewood

h/t Ian Magness

Silly Emma Gatten is at it again!

Cuckoos are in peril because they are unable to adjust their clocks to keep pace with climate change, new research has found.

The birds are among several species to migrate from sub-Saharan Africa to European breeding grounds in the spring.

As spring conditions have begun arriving steadily earlier in Europe, most species have adapted their arrival times to ensure they get the best breeding spots and prey.

But cuckoos are remaining in West Africa awaiting the arrival of spring rains, which haven’t shifted their start times, because they bring the invertebrates they eat, researchers from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) have discovered.

The time spent fattening up for the journey is vital to give the birds the energy they need to make the migration to Europe. Cuckoos that do make the journey in time for European spring are found to have higher mortality rates, researchers said.

But arriving late to Europe is also dangerous for cuckoos, as they miss the peak time for caterpillars, their main prey, and are left with the last pick of breeding sites.

The two factors may go some way to explaining why cuckoo numbers have dropped 71 per cent in England since 1995.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/06/21/cuckoos-climate-change-threat/

According to the Woodland Trust, cuckoos usually arrive in Britain during April. Although Emma may have difficulty in believing this, Aprils in the UK are no hotter now than they were two decades ago. Indeed the cold Aprils we have had recently are much more deadly for the cuckoos:

The Woodland Trust explains the real reason for the decline of the cuckoo:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/birds/cuckoo/

Maybe Emma might care to do some research first in future, before she rushes to blame non-existent climate change.