Birds in North America are changing behaviors to keep up with the warming planet, but it may not be enough.
What's happening?
A University of California, Los Angeles, study that analyzed 27 years of data showed that land-based species are moving north and higher in altitude as well as altering annual cycles, according to the school. The 311 studied species are not, however, making drastic enough changes.
On average, the birds have moved 1.1 kilometers (about 0.7 miles) northward and 1.2 meters (about 4 feet) higher in elevation to escape heat and started breeding 0.08 days earlier per year. Some species, including the black phoebe, are going in the opposite direction (southward in latitude and downward in elevation), while others, such as the lesser goldfinch, are significantly adapting to the changing environment by breeding earlier and moving north.
To keep pace with the rate of warming, the birds would need to triple their adjustments.
"This is a response we've hypothesized before, particularly for birds from California," lead author and UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Morgan Tingley said in the university's report. "But now, for the first time, we can see how animals are using multiple ways simultaneously to adapt to climate change, and shifting the timing of key life events may just be one of the first and easiest options."
Why is this important?
The news release stated that to make up for temperatures 1 degree Celsius hotter (an increase of 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit), the birds could travel 1,000 kilometers to the north (621 miles) or 300 meters higher (984 feet). Alternatively, breeding one day earlier "may simply represent the easiest, most efficient method."
The burning of dirty energy sources is straining people and wildlife around the globe. While the average global temperature has risen the seemingly minor amount of 1.1 degrees Celsius (more than 1.9 F) since 1880, according to NASA, most of that heating — about 0.74 to 0.98 degrees Celsius, or 1.33 to 1.76 Fahrenheit — has taken place since 1975.
What's being done about protecting birds?
It is essential to conservation efforts to understand how birds are responding to these new challenges. So, in addition to protecting habitats, researchers and scientists can "consider the timing of ecological events," per UCLA.
One recent effort to improve conservation methods is the first epigenetic clock for birds, which can be used to quickly and accurately age seabirds. Such technology is key to helping our fine feathered friends, as baby birds reportedly jumped out of nests in Northern California this summer when temperatures reached unbearable conditions.
"While shifting the timing of nesting may help birds in the short term, if they do not move in the long term, greater conservation efforts are likely to be necessary," Tingley said.
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