Bird populations suffer dramatic decline in Fukushima post 2011 nuclear disaster

A new study has revealed that bird populations are suffering a dramatic decline in Fukushima after the 2011 nuclear disaster.

Many papers from University of South Carolina biologist Tim Mousseau and colleagues showed that the avian situation there was just getting worse.

Many populations were found to have diminished in number as a result of the accident, with several species suffering dramatic declines.

One hard-hit species was the barn swallow, Hirundo rustica, which suffered large population losses in a dose-dependent manner according to individually measured levels of radiation exposure.

Despite the decline in background radiation in the area over these past four years, the deleterious effects of the accident on birds are actually increasing.

The study is published in the Journal of Ornithology.