"Even bird enthusiasts will admit the southwestern willow flycatcher isn’t very flashy. But in studying the DNA of this brownish-olive songbird, scientists say they have found something remarkable: evidence that the endangered bird is adapting at the genetic level to climate change.
These genetic changes are not visible to the human eye — but the birds are now probably better equipped to weather increasingly wet and humid days in southern California, the researchers found.
The findings add to a body of research suggesting that climate change is forcing evolution in some animals at a rapid pace. Scientists say this work — accelerated by advances in genomic sequencing technology — helps understand how wildlife can cope and respond to the pressures of rising global temperatures.
In the case of the southwestern willow flycatcher, the researchers found that the birds today are more likely to possess beneficial genes associated with handling heat stress than a century ago."
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