Birds and Climate Report: A Field Guide to a Warmer Future

Global warming is already changing the environment on which Birds depend, but there’s still time to save birds.

Check out what  The National Audubon Society is doing to help birds in a changing world

Audubon scientists have used hundreds of thousands of citizen-science observations and sophisticated climate models to predict how birds in the U.S. and Canada will react to climate change. Our work defines the climate conditions birds need to survive, then maps where those conditions will be found in the future as the Earth’s climate responds to increased greenhouse gases.  It’s the broadest and most detailed study of its kind, and it’s the closest thing we have to a field guide to the future of North American birds.

Audubon’s findings classify 314 species—nearly half of all North American birds—as severely threatened by global warming.

Audubon’s new science sends a clear message about the serious dangers birds face in a warming world. Protecting them will require both redoubling conservation efforts to safeguard critical habitat and curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Here are a few important steps you can take:

Take the Pledge: Receive the latest findings, explore climate-related volunteer opportunities in your state or local area, and get information on how to enlist in Audubon’s forthcoming citizen science project to help monitor birds and document how they respond to a changing climate by signing up at right.

Create a Bird-Friendly Yard: Healthy birds will be better equipped to face the challenges of a warming world. Commit to creating safe spaces for birds in your home and community by using fewer pesticides, letting dead trees stand, installing bird baths, and converting lawns and gardens to native plants. School grounds, parks, vacant lots, and common areas can all be “bird-scaped,” too.

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Of the 588 North American bird species Audubon studied, more than half are likely to be in trouble. Our models indicate that 314 species will lose more than 50 percent of their current climatic range by 2080.

Of the 314 species at risk from global warming, 126 of them are classified as climate endangered. These birds are projected to lose more than 50 percent of their current range by 2050. The other 188 species are classified as climate threatened and expected to lose more than 50 percent of their current range by 2080 if global warming continues at its current pace.

You can download a full overview of the Audubon Birds and Climate Report  in PDF form here.