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Temperature extremes and variability might be worst for the most vulnerable baby birds - the youngest, smallest, and most neglected nestlings - per study of 113 baby barn swallows in Colorado

04.22.26 | PLOS

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The effects of temperature on nestling growth in a songbird depend on developmental constraints
An adult barn swallow perched on a mud cup nest. This image captures the structural features of the nests and a typical barn nest site that are used by the birds in this study. Credit: Sage Madden, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Temperature extremes and variability might be worst for the most vulnerable baby birds - the youngest, smallest, and most neglected nestlings - per study of 113 baby barn swallows in Colorado

Article URL : https://plos.io/4svFkQC

Article title: The effects of temperature on nestling growth in a songbird depend on developmental constraints.

Author countries: U.S.A.

Funding: ZML was supported by the National Science Foundation Division of Biological Infrastructure ( https://www.nsf.gov/bio/dbi ) 2010607. SAM was supported by a Graduate Group in Ecology Fellowship through the University of California, Davis ( https://www.ucdavis.edu/ ) and by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship ( https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/grfp-nsf-graduate-research-fellowship-program ) 2036201. Research in this paper was supported by National Science Foundation Division of Integrative Organismal Systems ( https://www.nsf.gov/bio/ios ) 1856266 to RJS. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

PLOS One

10.1371/journal.pone.0334815

The effects of temperature on nestling growth in a songbird depend on developmental constraints

22-Apr-2026

Additional Media

Keywords

Animals Birds Climate Change Climate Change Adaptation Climatology Life Sciences Organismal Biology

Article Information

Journal
PLOS One
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0334815
Article Publication Date
2026-04-22
Article Title
The effects of temperature on nestling growth in a songbird depend on developmental constraints
COI Statement
The effects of temperature on nestling growth in a songbird depend on developmental constraints

Contact Information

Hanna Abdallah
PLOS
onepress@plos.org

How to Cite This Article

APA:
PLOS. (2026, April 22). Temperature extremes and variability might be worst for the most vulnerable baby birds - the youngest, smallest, and most neglected nestlings - per study of 113 baby barn swallows in Colorado. Brightsurf News. https://www.brightsurf.com/news/1GR6D7W8/temperature-extremes-and-variability-might-be-worst-for-the-most-vulnerable-baby-birds-the-youngest-smallest-and-most-neglected-nestlings-per-study-of-113-baby-barn-swallows-in-colorado.html
MLA:
"Temperature extremes and variability might be worst for the most vulnerable baby birds - the youngest, smallest, and most neglected nestlings - per study of 113 baby barn swallows in Colorado." Brightsurf News, Apr. 22 2026, https://www.brightsurf.com/news/1GR6D7W8/temperature-extremes-and-variability-might-be-worst-for-the-most-vulnerable-baby-birds-the-youngest-smallest-and-most-neglected-nestlings-per-study-of-113-baby-barn-swallows-in-colorado.html.