BBC Learning English
Words in the News
25th February 2011
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. Victoria Gill reports.
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
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
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Vocabulary and definitions
tawny owls a kind of owl, which is either brown or grey (although the
colour tawny on its own usually means yellowish-brown)
a camouflage advantage a better disguise or way of hiding
counterparts here, other tawny owls
milder warmer
plumage colour feather colour
predators hunting animals
endowed with supplied with
in response to in reaction to
gene pool set of genes or genetic code (for a species)
the animal kingdom the set of all animals
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Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
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