While people see the longer days as part of the first day of spring, other species are more about their instincts and temperature change. Due to the climate crisis the flyways are busy at different times of the year now, with migration shifting because of the warmer climate sooner.
September 25, 2020
By Brooke Bateman
The last few decades (click here) have seen an advancing onset of spring as temperatures have warmed due to climate change. Early spring may seem like something to revel in, but for natural ecosystems it can wreak havoc. Given the rapid pace of climate change, long established relationships can unravel, leading to mismatches in species phenology- the timing of seasonal and cyclic component of a species life. This phenomena can be seen with bird migration; millions of birds are migrating earlier as temperatures have warmed. Some species like the Black-throated Blue Warbler are migrating nearly a week earlier than they did 50 years ago. However, not all species are able to adapt as rapidly as others, subsequently leaving them a step behind during the integral breeding time. This can be as simple as birds like the Broad-tailed Hummingbird missing out on a key food resource needed for breeding, or as bizarre as birds turning into zombie-like killers to defend limited resources....
By Doyle Rice
Currently, the Violet-Green Swallow (click here) is one of the most threatened species due to the climate because they are a desert species and the climate is making their habitat far warmer than normal. This temperature increase is stressing most desert species.
About two-thirds of America's birds (click here) will be threatened with extinction if global warming rises by 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100, according to a report released Thursday from the National Audubon Society, a bird-focused conservation group.
“A lot of people paid attention to last month’s report that North America has lost nearly a third of its birds," said David Yarnold, CEO and president of Audubon. "This new data pivots forward and imagines an even more frightening future. It's a bird emergency."
About 389 out of 604 species are at risk of extinction from climate change. A few of the imperiled species include state birds such as Minnesota's common loon, New Jersey's goldfinch and California's quail.
To prepare the report – "Survival by Degrees: Bird Species on the Brink" – Audubon scientists studied 604 North American bird species using 140 million bird records, including observational data from bird lovers and field biologists across the U.S., Canada and Mexico....
One of the profound reasons the Endangered and Threatened Species classification started was to monitor Earth's life support. If other species were failing it would indicate a concern for the human condition. It is proving to be true. The Polar Bear is threatened and the lower 48 are now experiencing year-round upheavals in weather due to the climate crisis.
