Global warming problems could have a devastating impact on bird species in North America, according to findings published by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Rising sea levels are causing widespread loss of habitat in coastal and oceanic regions. Climate effects are disrupting the yearly migration patterns of birds in North America, and allowing invasive and predatory species to threaten endangered bird populations on their own turf.
The warmer temps are also disturbing normal breeding patterns and areas, resulting in lower reproduction rates. All of these factors are adding up to a formidable challenge in the fight to save endangered wildlife and preserve irreplaceable natural areas from climate change impacts.
Evidence Points to Global Warming Problems
Nearly one-third of the 800 bird species in the United States and its territories is endangered, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior's annual State of the Birds report. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service assessed climate change impacts on migratory species in collaboration with several conservation organizations, including the National Audubon Society, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Nature Conservancy.
The study shows that oceanic and native Hawaiian bird species are in the biggest danger from global warming problems, and that migratory birds - whose annual journeys depend on having plentiful coastal wetlands for food and rest - are suffering from loss of habitat and other effects of climate change.
Key Findings for Endangered Wildlife
The study made several alarming conclusions regarding climate change impacts on bird species.
- All 67 pelagic bird species, such as petrels and albatrosses, are in the greatest danger from global warming problems because of their low reproductive rate, loss of island breeding habitats due to rising ocean levels and other changes in marine ecosystems.
- Native Hawaiian bird species, most of which are already endangered, will further suffer from invasive species that overtake their natural habitats and mosquito-borne diseases.
- Species that are already threatened or endangered, such as the whooping crane, golden-cheeked warbler and spectacled eider, will be increasingly vulnerable to climate change impacts. At the same time, the study predicted that non-endangered species like the American oystercatcher, common nighthawk and northern pintail will be threatened by global warming problems.
- Increasing global temperatures will have an enormous impact the abundance and distribution of bird species in Arctic climates. Changes in surface water and vegetation will destroy breeding habitats for certain species and cause others to disappear from their usual range.
Suggested Ways to Reduce Climate Change Impacts on Birds
The study's authors recommend changes in the current monitoring programs to separate problems related to climate change from issues caused by other factors. Programs should also focus on the species and habitats most at risk due to global warming problems. Ideally, the information collected from improved monitoring programs will inform policy, land management and wildlife conservation decisions.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, The State of the Birds: 2010 Report on Climate Change
