Relationships Between Temperature and Animals’ Sizes Has Been Clarified

July 19, 2023 • by Esther Robards-Forbes

The new research offers important insights about how animals, particularly birds, may adapt to the rapid rise in temperatures driven by global climate change

Image showing bird species and where they fall on the temperature gradient

Cornell Lab of Ornithology/Birds of the World. Illustrated by Ian Lewington, Tim Worfolk, Clive Byers and Brian Small. 


Image showing world map and temperature gradients with different bird species habitats

Image courtesy of Botero Lab

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Three birds are shown. On the left is a blue jay, which is primarily blue with some patches of white on wing tips, around the face and on the chest. On the right is a green jay, which is primarily green with a lighter colored chest and a mix of blue and black patches on the face. In the center is a hybrid bird, which is primarily blue and resembles a blue jay, but with a larger area of black on the face, more akin to a green jay.

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