SEVILLE, Spain, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Growing numbers of British birds are being killed by malaria, say scientists who suggest climate change is driving an increase in the disease.
Monitoring programs say about 30 species of birds are affected, and researchers link the problem to a rapid growth in mosquito populations attributed to a rise of about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit in global average temperature, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday.
British bird types were among 3,000 species worldwide studied by Laszlo Garamszegi, of the Donana biological station near Seville in Spain.
His study, comparing recent data with records dating back to 1944, was published in the journal Global Change Biology.
"It does show trends we ought to be worried about," he said.
While the avian type of malaria cannot be passed to humans, other researchers say the finding is worrisome.
"There is very convincing evidence that a wide range of biological processes are altering in response to climate change," Ben Sheldon, professor of ornithology at Oxford University, said.
