THERMAL imaging can detect how animals are coping with their environment, avoiding the need for capture, according to new research.

The technique, which could transform how biologists investigate responses of wild animals to environmental changes, was tested on a blue tit population at the University of Glasgow’s Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment (Scene) at Loch Lomond.

The technique means biologists can learn how animals are responding to their surroundings without having to capture and measure them, as is necessary with current methods.

This is because body temperature can change when animals make physiological adjustments to preserve energy or deal with environmental stressors.

The study, published in Scientific Reports, found that skin temperature around the eye in the blue tit is lower in birds in poorer condition, and in birds with higher levels of stress hormones in their bloodstream.

To deal with challenging circumstances, such as during poor weather, or when food is scarce, animals need to save energy. One way they can achieve this is by reducing heat production. Challenging conditions also trigger a stress response, which causes blood to be diverted to the areas with the greatest need, increasing core temperature and reducing surface temperature.

Dr Paul Jerem, from the university’s Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine (IBAHCM), said: “These findings are important because understanding physiological processes is key to answering the questions of why animals behave the way they do, and how they interact with each other and their environment.”