Mechanisms underlying the loss of migratory behaviour in a long-lived bird

Andrade et al. (2025) studied the mechanisms driving the recent and rapid loss of migratory behaviour in Iberian white storks Ciconia ciconia, a long-lived and previously fully migratory species through the African–Eurasian flyway. The results suggest that through developmental plasticity, traits that are plastic during specific windows of development become fixed during adulthood. Photo by Rodrigo Rodriguez.