HUMAN INTERVENTION IN EVOLUTION : City lights making eyes of birds smaller

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According to a new study, the harsh lights of big cities may be generating an evolutionary adaption for smaller eyes in some birds. 

The findings, published in Global Change Biology, have ramifications for conservation efforts as bird populations across the United States continue to drop.

The Northern Cardinal and Carolina Wren, two common songbirds that reside year-round in the urban centre of San Antonio, Texas, had eyes that were around 5 per cent smaller than individuals of the same species from the less bright outskirts. 

Researchers discovered no variation in eye size between two migratory bird species, the Painted Bunting and the White-eyed Vireo, regardless of where they remained for most of the year.

The findings were published in Global Change Biology. "This study shows that residential birds may adapt over time to urban areas, but migratory birds are not adapting, probably because where they spend the winter--they are less likely to have the same human-caused light and noise pressures. It may make it more difficult for them to adjust to city life during the breeding season," said Jennifer Phillips, a Washington State University wildlife ecologist and senior author. 

The current human study suggests that caused light may also play a role in the bird's ability to cope with city life.

DID YOU KNOW?

The US and Canada have lost 29 per cent of their bird populations or 3 billion birds since 1970, according to previous research. Scientists believe that habitat fragmentation is the primary driver of the decline in birds.

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