Climate Change is (Not) for the Birds

Yet another new study illustrates the potentially deadly impact that climate change will pose for many migrating bird species.

This time around research into North American songbirds looked at how warmer springs will cause plants to grow either earlier or later than usual. It might be just a few days in either direction, but that’s enough to cause problems for nine out of 48 studied bird species, which researchers say will now have trouble finding the right insects to eat, impacting the birds’ ability to breed.

This follows research published last year which found that similar effects could be felt by hundreds of bird species across five continents.

John R. Platt

is the editor of The Revelator. An award-winning environmental journalist, his work has appeared in Scientific American, Audubon, Motherboard, and numerous other magazines and publications. His “Extinction Countdown” column has run continuously since 2004 and has covered news and science related to more than 1,000 endangered species. He is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists and the National Association of Science Writers. John lives on the outskirts of Portland, Ore., where he finds himself surrounded by animals and cartoonists.

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