Is climate change causing bird`s wing length to grow? Scientists say `Yes`

New Delhi: Scientists from the University of Notre Dame in Sydney have found out that climate change may be causing the wing length of some bird species to grow rapidly. 

The study, released on Monday, discloses that growth in wing length of the Australian ringneck parrot, or Barnardius Zon Arius, are linked to climate change as the limbs of animals in warm climates tend to be longer.

As per the study, the wings of ringneck parrots, commonly called twenty-eights, have increased by 4-5 milimetres over the past 45 years. 

As temperatures rise, the increase in the length of wings can help these birds release excess heat and adapt better to their environment, said one of the study's scientists, Dylan Korczynskyj.

Korczynskyj explained that the biggest changes in wing length have occurred since the 1970s, a period that coincides with temperature changes of more than 0.1 to 0.2 degrees Celsius and deforestation carried out in the state of Western Australia.

However, the scientists warn that even small rise in temperatures may have a profound effect on various species.

"In the 1970s in Western Australia for example, we might have only seen an increase in temperature of maybe 0.1 to 0.2 degrees every 10 years," he said.

The study examined several specimens from the museum of Western Australia, which has a collection of birds dating back to the early 19th century and includes a ringneck parrot specimen from 1904.

(With agency inputs)