Until now Cantabria was only a transit area for flamingos. They have been refusing to fly south for three years
When we talk about climate changewe automatically think of melting glaciers or crops altering, but we must also take into account that biodiversity maps are being redesigned in real time. This is what we are seeing in the north of Spain, where southern flamencos have begun to consider Cantabria as your new residence of winter. What the census says. In order to see how the habits of flamingos are changing, we have to turn to the census of wintering waterfowl in Cantabria, which indicates that right now there is a stable population of about 25 southern flamingos who have been settled in the region for three consecutive winters without emigrating. These specimens arriving from the Mediterranean Sea have decided that the climate and conditions of the Cantabrian Sea are sufficient to avoid having to continue their journey to the warmer southern latitudes. And the culprit of this is climate change. The problem of winter. The theory tells us that this type of animal species usually always go to places with optimal temperatures, causing them to be in the north in summer and in the south in winter. But this has changed radically, and these migratory birds are slowly becoming one of the best thermometers of global warming. The explanation here lies in the fact that winters on the Cantabrian coast are increasingly milder, causing this thermal increase to eliminate the barrier of extreme cold that traditionally forced these species, such as the flamingo, to flee to the south of the peninsula or North Africa. Adaptation of the species. By not facing severe frosts that freeze water and limit access to their food, flamingos find the energy expenditure of a long migratory journey unnecessary. They simply “stick” here to an area that is now hospitable. A perfect refuge. For a species to decide to stay, it is not enough for it to be less cold, but food and shelter are also needed. Here Cantabria has one of the richest and most important estuarine complexes in northern Spain. The flamingos in this case have concentrated their colony in two key points of the Cantabrian geography: the bay of Santander and the estuarine complex of the Marinas of Santoña, Victoria and Joyel. Here the high wetland quality It guarantees an ecosystem rich in the small crustaceans and microorganisms that these birds feed on. Images | Jannes Jacobs In Xataka | These birds travel more than 3,000 kilometers every year to reach Spain. The curious thing is that some arrive without fingers