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Bird numbers have dramatically declined in Fukushima, research has revealed.

Scientists analysed 57 species in the region and found that the majority of populations had diminished as a result of the nuclear accident.

They found that one breed in particular had plummeted from several hundred before the 2011 disaster to just a few dozen today.

Researchers have found that bird species are continuing to drop in Fukushima (shown after the disaster in 2011). The barn swallow, for example, dropped from hundreds to dozens. This is despite radiation levels in the region starting to fall. And comparing it to Chernobyl could reveal what the future holds

The research, published in the Journal of Ornithology, was carried out by scientists at the University of South Carolina including biologist Dr Tim Mousseau.

They showed that the situation has steadily worsened since the disaster on 11 March 2011.

On that day, just over four years ago, Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was heavily damaged by an earthquake and its resultant tsunami.

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

One of the most hard-hit species is the barn swallow, Hirundo rustica, which suffered large population losses due to radiation exposure.

'We know that there were hundreds in a given area before the disaster, and just a couple of years later we're only able to find a few dozen left,' said Dr Mousseau.

'The declines have been really dramatic.'

And while background radiation has declined in the region in recent years, the negative effects of the accident on birds are actually increasing.

'The relationship between radiation and numbers started off negative the first summer, but the strength of the relationship has actually increased each year,' Dr Mousseau said.

'So now we see this really striking drop-off in numbers of birds as well as numbers of species of birds.

'So both the biodiversity and the abundance are showing dramatic impacts in these areas with higher radiation levels, even as the levels are declining.'

Dr Tim Mousseau and his team made the findings using thermoluminescent detectors, which use gamma-radiation-sensitive crystals (shown) to measure radiation doses in individual subjects living in the wild

One hard-hit species was the barn swallow (stock image shown), Hirundo rustica, which suffered large population losses due to radiation exposure

The team are hoping to get information on what the future holds for Fukushima from the Chernobyl site, which was the scene of a devastating release of radioactive materials in Ukraine in 1986.

One difference noticed so far is that migratory birds fared worse in Chernobyl, whereas it was year-round residents that were doing worse at Fukushima.

This could be due to differences in DNA repair capabilities for migratory species as a result of flapping their wings - which lowers their antioxidant levels and makes them more vulnerable to radiation.

The Fukushima nuclear disaster was a failure at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant on 11 March 2011. It was caused when the plant was hit by a tsunami, triggered by the 9.0 Tohoku earthquake. Shown are radiation levels immediately after the accident in 2011