Impact on Birds

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Impact on Birds
Angie St. George
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As we have learned, the world is warming up. The
past decade or so is the warmest on record.

Global warming leads to Climate Change.
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How are birds affected by this climate change?
Habitat
Migration
Food
Nesting
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Changing Habitats
Getting smaller Wetlands drying up Rising Sea Le
vels
New vegetation
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Migration
Migrating earlier in spring
Ranges are moving farther north
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Changes in range may depend on how far the birds
have to migrate.
-Study of 64 species in transit over mountains in
Switzerland
-350,000 captures between 1958 1999
-Long distance fliers leave earlier

-Short distance fliers delay autumn travel
So, birds migrating short distances may benefit
from global warming at the expense of long
distance fliers.
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One opinion is that these long-distance fliers
are in danger of extinction.
300 birds in 3 categories residents short-mig
ration
long-migration
2 census periods 1980-81 1990-92
Temperature increase of 4 degrees
Only long-distance birds were affected.
Long-migration bird abundance decreased by 20.
Some short-migration birds have stopped migrating
altogether.
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2nd opinion Long-distance fliers may be able t
o adapt to climate change.
Data going back to 1980 show these birds arrive
in Europe earlier (in time for the beginning of
spring)
This may be a reaction to changes in day length
rather than climate change
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Food
Life cycle is linked to food supply
If birds migrating earlier arrive somewhere that
it is still winter, they may starve
Birds could miss the peak availability of their
food source if they are not in the right place at
the right time
Warming ocean temperatures could affect the diets
of seabirds
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Nesting
Some species are laying eggs up to 9 days earlier
than 30 years ago
Benefits Birds will be about a week older when i
t is time to migrate
Costs Life cycle is linked to food supply
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Tree Swallows
40 years of data show that swallows that nest
earlier may lay more eggs
These birds are income breeders
The insects they eat do not fly in cold weather.
If the parents have to travel further for food,
then they may abandon their young
Overall, researchers were surprised to see that
the past 30 of data do not indicate that earlier
nesting increases clutch size.
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Variations in Clutches
Some birds raise 2 clutches per year
Springtime is when the birds food source is most
abundant
Climate changes may speed up the development of
these sources
Some 2 clutch birds now lay only 1, and some 1
clutch birds lay earlier
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How do we study impacts of global warming on
birds?
Dr. Jeff Price
Made models of bird distributions and climate
changes
Used the Canadian Climate Centers General
Circulation Model to model bird distributions in
50-100 years with 2x pre-industrial CO2
concentrations
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Some states may lose their official birds
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What does any of this have to do with humans?
Birds help with pollination, disperse seeds, and
eat insects that would otherwise be out of control
Birds are important for industry
- 3.5 billion spent each year on seeds,
feeders, baths, and houses - 100 million spent
in each state - creates 200,000 jobs - 1 bil
lion in state/federal tax revenues
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What happens now?
Humans need to work to control and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
How can we do this?
Clean your furnace and change AC filters
regularly.
Recycle!!!!!
Check tire pressure, purchase fuel efficient
cars, carpool, use mass transportation.
Use energy efficient light bulbs and appliances.
Purchase shade-grown coffee and chocolate.
Educate others.
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As conservationists work on creating future
wildlife management plans they must take into
account the ways that birds are adapting to
global warming. - habitat - migration - food
- nesting
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Most people take the presence of birds (and other
wildlife) for granted and dont realize their
importance (like I bet you didnt realize that
birds generate billions of dollars per year in
the United States).
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Disrupting one part of the biosphere has the
potential to affect everyone in ways that nobody
anticipated.
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Like the canary in a coal mine that alerts miners
of dangerous working conditions, birds are
telling us something about how global warming is
impacting our planet, and we must pay attention.
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Sources
Kingsley, Danny. Global warming good news for
some bird species. 30 May 2003. News in Science.
8 November 2006
ws/stories/s866599.htm
McCarthy, Michael. Disaster at Sea Global
Warming Hits UK Birds. 30 July 2004. Common
Dreams News Center. 15 November 2006

tm
Owen, Catherine. Long-Haul Birds Returning
Early 2 July 2006. BBC News. 9 November 2006

38.stm
Price, Jeff. Climate Change Birds. American
Bird Conservancy. 8 November 2006

Price, Jeff and Terry Root. No Orioles in
Baltimore? Bird Conservation, Issue 16. 8
November 2006
nge/birdcons_article.pdf
Birds. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 8
November 2006
alwarming.nsf/content/ImpactsBirds.html
Birds Are Responding to Global Warming, Bur
Forecasting Impact of Climate Change Wont Be
Easy, Biologists Report 1 October 2002.
Science Daily. 9 November 2006
edaily.com/releases/2002/09/020926065816.htm
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The Birdwatchers Guide to Global Warming.
2002. National Wildlife Federation and American
Bird Conservancy. 8 November 2006

sguide.pdf
Climate Change Disrupts Birds 15 January 2003.
BBC News. 9 November 2006
2/low/science/nature/2658459.stm
Climate Change Linked to Migratory Decrease 26
March 2003. Science Daily. 9 November 2006

326073630.htm
Help Birds Affected by Global Warming. National
Wildlife Federation. 15 November 2006

ds.cfm
Global Warming Threatens Large-Scale Bird
Extinctions Report. Common Dreams News Center.
15 November 2006
dlines06/1114-05.htm
Upland Birds in Peril from Climate Change 4
April 2005. Science Daily. 9 November 2006

328182234.htm