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title: "Climate can change size of Black‐vented Shearwaters"
---

# Climate can change size of Black‐vented Shearwaters

![Black vented Shearwater](https://acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Shearwaters/Shearwaters/Black_vented_Shearwater.JPG)* *

 * Black-vented Shearwater*

 Cecilia Soldatini ([Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación, Superior de Ensenada](https://www.cicese.edu.mx/) ‐ Unidad La Paz, Baja California Sur, México) and colleagues have published in the journal [*Ibis*](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/1474919x) on how mass and wind length of Black‐vented Shearwaters *Puffinus opisthomelas* ([Near Threatened](http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/22698246)) relate to climate variability.

 The short note’s abstract follows:

 “Recent climatic variation has led to a change in size or mass in some species.  The Black‐vented Shearwater *Puffinus opisthomelas* is endemic to the California Current System, a highly variable system, giving us cues on the effects of interannual variability on predators.  Here, we report the results of a comparison of biometrics measurement in the short term, four years, with different environmental conditions.  We found that environmental variability has a direct effect on the body condition of the species, affecting not only body mass, but also wing length, with shorter wings as a carry‐over effect of adverse conditions.”

 **Reference:**

 Soldatini, C., Rosas Hernandez, M.P., Albores‐Barajas, Y.V., Bambini, G., Munguia‐Vega, A., Giambalvo, G. & Dell’omo, G. 2021.  Carry‐over effects of environmental stochasticity of the California Current on body condition and wing length of breeding Black‐vented Shearwaters (*Puffinus opisthomelas*).  [*Ibis*doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12919](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ibi.12919?fbclid=IwAR3IJrdk7rqPCUT3POwJFU7NAp8rme-pUMAlDPaB3uRyFHf3rnZjGRg9_-0).

 *John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 29 January 2020*