Birds going cuckoo; CLIMATE CHANGE RUINS ANIMAL'S BODY CLOCK.

Byline: SARAH BARDON

THE cuckoo's clock is going slow because the rapid pace of climate change has ruined its timing.

The bird faces an uncertain future because it is arriving in Europe too late to lay its eggs.

The cuckoo survives by leaving its eggs in other birds' nests, letting unwitting foster parents raise the abandoned chick.

Other species such as swallows are arriving in Ireland earlier each year to take advantage of the warmer springs.

By the time the cuckoo arrives most chicks have already hatched and there is nowhere for them to lay their eggs.

Konstantin Kreiser of BirdLife International said the cuckoo's confused timing "shows how climate change can bring confusion in the ecological system".

He added overheating is a real danger to European birds who must adapt by moving "northwards or uphill". This week a conference in Brussels heard the effects of climate change on the environment was no longer a subject for debate.

Conservationist Jeff McNeely told delegates "We're not talking about something our children will inherit.

"The problem is here now, and we're already losing species.

"Just look at the dying coral reefs as a result of ocean acidification. It can't be put off for another two years."

CAPTION(S):

ENDANGERED Cuckoos are threatened