Lund researchers track nightingale's Sahara crossing

22 de abril de 2026

Reportado por IA

A nightingale weighing just 25 grams builds energy reserves to cross the Sahara. Lund researchers used miniature sensors to track ten birds on their migration from Sweden to southeastern Africa.

Researchers at Lund University used new miniature sensor technology to study how nightingales manage their long migration over the Mediterranean and Sahara.

The birds brighten Swedish summers but spend winters mainly in southeastern Africa. They fly intensely for four to five nights straight, resting completely during the day.

In the desert, they cannot refuel and survive on reserves built up beforehand, said biology professor Anders Hedenström.

"These birds don't take chances. Their whole strategy is based on having charged enough energy before starting the most inhospitable parts of the journey," Hedenström said in a press release.

Artigos relacionados

Rescued African penguin chicks recover well after Bird Island floods

Nearly 50 African penguin chicks rescued from flooding on Bird Island are now healthy and gaining weight under expert care at a rehabilitation centre in Gqeberha. The chicks were evacuated after heavy rains on 24 February washed away their nests. Climate change is exacerbating such threats to seabird colonies.

Extreme weather impacts growth of great tit nestlings

12 de março de 2026 Reportado por IA

A 60-year study of over 80,000 great tits in Oxford's Wytham Woods shows that cold snaps and heavy rain reduce nestling body mass and survival chances. Birds breeding earlier in the season appear better shielded from these effects. Moderate warm spells, however, can boost chick growth by enhancing food availability.

Ciência

Birdwatching may reshape brain and buffer against ageing

Ciência

Study debunks myth of indigenous overhunting in Hawaii

Europa

Blue tit disease surges in Dalarna amid nationwide outbreak

Polar bears in Svalbard grow fatter despite rapid warming

In Norway's Svalbard archipelago, the fastest-warming region on Earth, polar bears have surprisingly increased in size and weight since 2000, even as sea ice diminishes. Researchers attribute this to adaptive foraging behaviors amid shrinking ice. However, experts warn that long-term survival remains threatened by ongoing climate change.

Criticism mounts as Dalarna lynx hunt resumes after court ruling

28 de março de 2026 Reportado por IA

Following the Sundsvall Administrative Court's March 17 decision to lift a temporary halt, the license hunt for lynx in Dalarna has resumed amid ongoing appeals. Hunters are permitted to shoot 20 lynx—nearly double last year's quota—while the Nature Protection Association, which appealed in 11 counties, criticizes the move.

Ciência