British great tits have proved themselves to be far more adaptable to climate
change than their counterparts in the Netherlands.
In the past half century the great tits living in Wytham Woods (also known as
the Woods of Hazel) near Oxford, have brought forward the date that they lay
their eggs by an average of two weeks.
The advance is a response to climate change and the timings of the egg-laying
showed that the birds tracked the variations in temperature.
The British great tits, Parus major, were also able as individuals to respond to
fluctuating temperatures from year to year and are the first species to
demonstrate such an ability. Because they reacted individually to temperatures,
which controlled the availability of vital food, they tended to choose the same
time to lay their eggs.
Dutch great tits, by contrast, have been shown by previous research to be able
to respond as a species only by ...