Almost Half of North American Bird Species Are Threatened by Climate Change

Nearly half the bird species in North America are threatened by climate change, according to a new report.

The report, published Monday by the National Audubon Society, found that as the the climate of North America changes, 126 bird species will lose more than half — with some at risk of losing 100 percent — of their current ranges by 2050, and will have no possibility of colonizing new areas if warming continues unabated.  That’s about 21 percent of North America’s 650 or so bird species.  On top of that, 188 species are also threatened by a 50 percent or more loss in their ranges by 2080, but may be able to find new areas to colonize.

“The greatest threat our birds face today is global warming,” Audubon Chief Scientist and report’s lead researcher Gary Langham said in a statement.  “That’s our unequivocal conclusion after seven years of painstakingly careful and thorough research.  Global warming threatens the basic fabric of life on which birds — and the rest of us — depend, and we have to act quickly and decisively if we are going to avoid catastrophe for them and for us.”

Almost Half of North American Bird Species Are Threatened by Climate Change