Autillos cambian de color en Finlandia

Owls in Finland changing colour, scientists say

Scientists in Finland say warmer winters in recent years are causing some of the country's owls to change colour. Research done at the University of Helsinki suggests brown owls are better able to survive the warmer weather than grey-feathered owls.

Reporter: Victoria Gill

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Despite their name, tawny owls actually come in two colours. And in Finland, the freezing, snowy winters give pale grey birds a camouflage advantage over their darker brown-feathered counterparts. But as the Finnish winters get milder, the grey owls are disappearing.

The University of Helsinki team gathered 30 years' worth of genetic and population data on tawny owls. They found that the birds inherited their plumage colour from their parents. The grey tawnys, as well as being better hidden from predators in the snow, seem to be endowed with other genetic advantages that make them healthier and stronger. But despite this, the brown owl population is now overtaking that of the greys, because the warmer winters have improved the brown owls' chances of survival.

The lead researcher, Dr Patrik Karell, said that this showed that the birds were evolving in response to climate change, so the tawny owl gene pool is actually getting browner. This is the first evidence of climate change having such an effect in the animal kingdom.

Victoria Gill, BBC News

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tawny owlsautillos / cárabos

a camouflage advantage una ventaja para esconderse

counterparts (en este caso) otros autillos / cárabos

milder más templados

plumage colour color de las plumas

predators (de) predadores

endowed with dotados de (otras ventajas genéticas)

in response to en reacción a

gene pool acervo genético

the animal kingdom el reino animal