Chicago’s birds are laying eggs much earlier due to climate change
A new study from the Field Museum drew on its vast collection of century-old eggs and modern nesting data from the Morton Arboretum.
By Christian Elliott
Chicago’s birds are laying eggs much earlier due to climate change
A new study from the Field Museum drew on its vast collection of century-old eggs and modern nesting data from the Morton Arboretum.
By Christian ElliottAs the climate warms here in Chicago, some native bird species are nesting earlier in the spring. Half of the 72 bird species studied have started laying eggs 25 days earlier on average than they did 100 years ago. Since temperature changes of just a few degrees translate to different plants blooming and insects emerging at different times, climate change may lead to birds competing for food that they did not need to fight over in the past.
Reset checks in with one of the study’s authors and the Chicago Audubon Society’s president.
GUESTS: John Bates, curator of life sciences at the Field Museum
Judy Pollock, president of the Chicago Audubon Society