Climate Change Pushing Birds North

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Birds moving north in response to climate change

According to information released by Audubon and BirdLife USA, an analysis of data gathered over the last forty years has shown a dramatic shift in the natural ranges for as many as 177 US Bird species in response to climate change. The shifts correspond closely to average winter temperatures over the affected regions.

The shifting species represent 58% of bird species that overwinter on the North American continent and showed that birds that typically inhabit forested areas were more likely to move their ranges northward than grassland birds, likely due to the absence of suitable grassland habitat in the northern extremes of their range.

Audubon scientists point out that birds already threatened by habitat loss and encroaching suburbia, are now being further displaced by the effects of climate change. BirdLife’s Dr. Stuart Butchart was quoted in the release as saying “There is now plenty of evidence that bird species are shifting their ranges northwards and to higher altitudes, and that their timing of breeding and migration is shifting forwards in response to climate change.”

The conclusions of this research are indeed backed up by numerous other studies including one released through Science Daily, by researchers from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry based on data collected for breeding bird atlases of New York state in the early 1980’s and from 2000-2005. Although the data from the SUNY study was limited geographically, birth studies found birds extending their ranges northward and abandoning the southern extremes of their range as they move.

For Manchester birdwatchers, the Audubon study detailed northward range migration for a number of birds popular among New Hampshire birders. Use the following chart with pictures of each bird as a quick reference. CLICK THE ARTICLE LINK AT THE TOP OF THIS POST TO VIEW THE CHART.