Himanshu Nitnaware
The behaviour of plants and animals across India has started changing with the unusually warm late winter and early spring. February and early March felt more like peak summer months in several regions this year. Globally, February was recorded as the fifth warmest on record. In India, Delhi experienced its warmest March in nearly 50 years, while parts of the Himalayas did not witness the expected winter cold waves.
But it is wildlife and vegetation that appear to be facing the sharpest consequences. Scientists say temperatures in some areas have risen between 5 degrees Celsius (°C) and 12°C above normal, disturbing natural cycles of flowering, breeding and migration.
Researchers across the Indian subcontinent report changes in behaviour among plants, birds, amphibians and reptiles. Manzoor Shah, a botanist and professor at the University of Kashmir, says the Himalayan region has witnessed an unprecedented rise in temperatures. “Temperatures that one would usually see in April are now felt during early March or February,” he says. “This year’s February temperature has broken a 35-year-old record.”
According to Shah, the unusual warmth has triggered early flowering in several plant species that normally bloom later in the season. Among them are Viburnum grandiflorum, Iris reticulata, species of Narcissus and Sternbergia.
The university has been monitoring more than 200 species for many years to track phenology — the timing of seasonal biological events — and their functional traits.
Observations show flowering is taking place around 20 to 25 days earlier than usual, said Shah. Such shifts can have wider ecological consequences. Pollinators such as bees often rely on seasonal cues to time their activity, and when plants flower earlier than expected, those interactions can fall out of sync.
“Early flowering means the bees and other pollinators are not yet active,” Shah explains. “This mismatch can lead to flowers shedding early, leaving little nectar and food for pollinators, which may result in mortality and long-term population decline.”
In central India, ornithologists say rising temperatures are already affecting the nesting and breeding patterns of several bird species. Satish Pande, a Pune-based ornithologist and director of the Ela Foundation, says the months between January and March are typically breeding periods for many birds of prey and other species.
These include raptors such as hawk eagles, Bonelli’s eagles and short-toed snake eagles.
“Normally nesting begins around December,” he says. “But this year we observed nesting being delayed until the end of January.”
Such delays can have cascading effects. If eggs hatch later than usual, the chicks may emerge during the hottest part of the season.
Pande says this could push hatching towards the end of March, when temperatures in many regions approach peak summer levels.
At the same time, the flowering cycles of trees that provide nectar and food for birds have also shifted.
Trees such as the Flame of the Forest and the red silk cotton tree bloomed early in March this year rather than in April. By the time the birds’ eggs hatch, the flowering may already have ended, reducing food availability for adult birds and their chicks.
Heat affects bird habitats Water bodies in several areas have started drying earlier than usual, making them less suitable for both resident and migratory species. Some migratory birds have already begun departing, while shortages of food and water during this critical period are causing concern.
“Heat is also taking a toll on birds which are becoming dehydrated and exhausted,” Pande says. “In recent days we have rescued Indian robins, tailorbirds, house sparrows, bulbuls, grey francolins and quails.” Early forest fires, some started by human activity, have compounded the problem. According to Pande, fires reported earlier than usual this year have destroyed nests of ground-nesting birds such as larks and the Indian eagle owl, whose eggs were still waiting to hatch in grasslands.