Experts sound alarm over concerning trend among the world's migratory birds: 'A noticeable impact'

The changing climate is reducing the number of birds that migrate to India's wetlands and how long they stay there.

What's happening?

As the world gets warmer and the weather becomes more extreme, habitats are changing for wildlife across the globe. In India, this is resulting in a major shift in the migratory patterns of dozens of bird species.

Birds typically migrate to the warm Indian wetlands from colder locations such as Siberia and Kazakhstan. But as The New Indian Express reported, not only are fewer birds making the trek than in the past, but those that do are staying a shorter amount of time.

Take, for example, Harike Wildlife Sanctuary, which is the largest wetland in North India. In 2018, more than 120,000 birds were spotted in the sanctuary. This year, that number dropped to just over 55,000.

"The change in climatic conditions across the globe and late winters … might be the reasons migratory birds from those parts of the world are choosing other destinations or shuffling their migration patterns," Dharminder Sharma, Punjab's chief conservator of forests, told the publication. "Thus, the bird count has decreased here."

Gitanjali Kanwar of the World Wildlife Fund-India also noted that the migratory season now lasts just two months when it used to be five or six.

"The shrinking winter window has had a noticeable impact on their migration patterns," she said.

Why is bird migration important?

Birds are vital to ecosystems, as they help control pest populations and spread seeds. When changes to the climate threaten their habitats or change their migratory patterns, the effects can ripple to other plants and wildlife.

Sadly, these changes have been seen not just in India but all over the world. In Spain, researchers fear that warmer temperatures will impact the moustached warbler's ability to reproduce. In the Caribbean, fewer healthy plants have meant a higher mortality rate on birds' migratory journeys.

What's being done about bird migration?

Conservationists in India are hopeful that this latest data will spur action to help preserve these migratory birds' habitats. And they are encouraged that, even as overall numbers decline, they have spotted some rare bird species in their native wetlands.

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Sharma told the Express that funding has been earmarked for cleaning and developing wetlands, which he hopes will benefit the country's bird populations.

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