Wildlife

Global warming threatens half of U.S. birds

A seven-year study by scientists at the National Audubon Society found that global warming threatens the survival of nearly half the bird species in the continental United States and Canada, including the iconic bald eagle and Florida favourites such as the roseate spoonbill, sandhill crane and woodstork.

Of 588 bird species examined in the study, 314 species are classified “at risk.” Of those, 126 species are at risk of severe declines by 2050, and an additional 188 species face a similar fate by 2080, with the potential for species extinctions if global warming continues on its current trajectory.

About 50 species whose ranges currently include Florida are included in the two categories — climate-endangered and climate-threatened.

The Audubon report, released Tuesday, says that hundreds of species not previously considered at-risk will be challenged to survive in a climate-changed future.

“Climate change is reshaping the birdlife of the continent,” said Julie Wraithmell, Audubon Florida Director of Wildlife Conservation. Rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns will force many of the continent’s birds to seek out better places to nest and winter. “Some species will shift their range, but others will not have that flexibility.”