HARPENDEN, England, July 14 (UPI) -- Britain's moth population is declining at a rate that has ecologists concerned that depletion of certain moth species may begin to affect the bird population.
Researchers at Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, England, examined four decades of records, and found that two-thirds of Britain's most popular moths have populations that have steadily plummeted. Some species, including the dusk thorn and the hedge rustic, have thinned out by more than 90 percent in the past 35 years, The Guardian reported.
"The thought that these species are declining so severely is shocking," said Kelvin Conrad, a population ecologist who led the study. "You have to remember these are, or were, common species -- they're not considered rare."
Ecologists at Rothamsted Research said England has also seen a sharp decline in bumblebees and butterflies. The fear that declining insect populations will begin to deplete bird populations is constant, the report said.
