Migratory birds and whales confused by warming

By Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent

BONN (Reuters) - Birds, whales and other migratory creatures are suffering from global warming that puts them in the wrong place at the wrong time, a U.N. official told 166-nation climate talks on Monday.

A warmer climate disrupts the biological clocks of migratory species including bats, dolphins, antelopes or turtles, said Lahcen el Kabiri, deputy head of the U.N.'s Bonn-based Convention on Migratory Species.

"They are the most visible warning signs -- indicators signalling the dramatic changes to our ecosystems caused in part by climate change," he told delegates on the opening day of a May 7-18 U.N. meeting searching for new ways to offset warming.

Many creatures are mistiming their migrations, or failing to bother as changes between seasons become less clear. The shifts make them vulnerable to heatwaves, droughts or cold snaps.

Among birds, for instance, cranes are starting to spend the winter in Germany rather than fly south to Spain or Portugal. "A harsh winter could decimate the population," he said.

Migratory species are particularly vulnerable because they need separate breeding, wintering and stop-over sites. Changes to any one of the habitats can put them at risk.

Global warming, blamed by almost all experts on a build-up of gases from burning fossil fuels, adds stresses for migratory species such as pollution, overfishing or destruction of habitats on land for farming, roads or towns.

FISH, PLANKTON