Global warming makes it harder for birds to mate, study finds

SEPTEMBER 17, 2019

by University of East Anglia

New research led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) and University of Porto (CIBIO-InBIO) shows how global warming could reduce the mating activity and success of grassland birds.

The study examined the threatened grassland bird Tetrax tetrax, or little bustard, classified as a vulnerable species in Europe, in order to test how rising temperatures could affect future behavior.

The males spend most of their time in April and May trying to attract females in a breeding gathering known as a lek. In leks, to get noticed, males stand upright, puff up their necks, and making a call that sounds like a 'snort." They also use this display to defend their territory from competing breeding males.

The international team of researchers—from the UK, Kenya, Portugal, Spain and Brazil—found that high temperatures reduced this snort-call display behavior. If temperatures become too hot, birds may have to choose between mating and sheltering or resting to save their energy and protect themselves from the heat.

Published in the journal PLOS ONE, the findings show that during the mating season little bustard display behavior is significantly related to temperature, the time of the day—something referred to as circadian rhythms—and what stage of the mating season it is. The average temperature during the day also affects how much birds display and again as temperatures increase, display rates reduce.

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Hello exotic egrets, farewell mountain butterflies as fauna revolution hits UK

Colourful creatures are moving north from Europe into a warming Britain … but indigenous rivals risk being lost for ever

Stephen Moss

Sat 29 Jun 2019 12.00 BSTLast modified on Sat 29 Jun 2019 17.25 BST

Cattle egrets – birds once so exotic we rarely saw them north of the Mediterranean – are now nesting in a heronry near my home in Somerset. Flocks of them often gather in the nearby fields, feeding among Jerseys and Holsteins. They look as if they are quite at home on this side of the Channel – which nowadays they are.

These small white herons, adorned with their orange breeding-plumes, are just one of several species of waterbird to have colonised southern Britain in the past decade or so, as a result of the climate crisis. These include the little egret, which has bred here since the mid-90s, and the great white egret, which first nested on the Avalon Marshes less than a decade ago.

Egrets are hard to ignore: even people who have little or no interest in birds are beginning to notice these elegant white birds in our midst. But meanwhile, a whole suite of wild creatures is colonising Britain by stealth; sometimes passing under the radar until they have established thriving populations here.

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Birds are the neglected victims of global warming, says new RSPB report

By Sanya Khetani-Shah, Thu, 19/11/2015 - 08:51

Climate change is one of the greatest long-term threats to nature and wildlife. Today, the rate at which the Earth is getting warmer is faster than the ability of some species – plants, animals, birds and even humans – to adapt. This is especially true because nature’s resilience to climate change has already been weakened by habitat loss, over-exploitation and other human activities.

The RSPB (Royal Society for Protection of Birds, BirdLife in the UK) has been involved in some of the scientific research that has improved our understanding of the effects of climate change. To spread awareness, they have released a new report bringing together scientific evidence on the effects climate change is already having on wildlife across Europe.

It aims to document the impact of global warming on wildlife that we’ve already seen, changes we might expect in the future, and some conservation responses that could benefit both nature and people.

In the UK and across Europe, climate change is already changing the natural world. Plants and animals can survive only under certain climatic conditions. As the climate changes, species will be affected by, and will have to respond to, the new conditions (they are already doing so by moving north geographically and/or in altitude). From extreme weather events causing mass deaths of some wildlife to rising temperatures forcing species into areas that may not be a suitable habitat, climate change poses big challenges for Europe’s wildlife.

If the global temperature rises by up to three degrees Celsius, the average potential ranges of European species of breeding birds are projected to be 550km further north by the end of the century. Birds are likely to lose 20% of the extent of their breeding ranges, just from changing climate.

And research shows that wildlife will face an even tougher environment than today as a result of rising temperatures, unless we act now and we act fast.

In each section of the RSPB’s new report, examples are presented to illustrate the impact already occurring and effects expected in the future. Each section also provides more detailed case studies focussing on the science and conservation work to which the RSPB has contributed.

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Global warming: Could Idaho lose its mountain bluebird?

Idaho Statesman

September 10, 2014 

The Legislature adopted Sialia arctcia as the state bird in 1931. The bird is 6 to 7 inches long and is a member of the thrush family.

JOE JASZEWSKI — jjaszewski@idahostatesman.com

What's the problem? Global warming threatens survival of more than half of all bird species in the U.S. and Canada, National Audubon Society scientists claim. Among them is the mountain bluebird, Idaho's state bird.

Why? Increased dryness caused by warming temperatures will alter the habitat ranges of birds in nearly every state, forcing them to migrate to unfamiliar areas, where they will have to adapt or possibly perish.

How credible is the threat? The report has a blind spot: It cannot reliably say that many of the species will not simply adapt in their current habitat or thrive elsewhere. Still, "it's a wake-up call," said John Fitzpatrick, executive director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Here's the entire story from The Washington Post's Darryl Fears:

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/09/10/3367271/global-warming-could-idaho-lose.html#storylink=cpy

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Half of North American bird species threatened by climate change

8th September 2014

Half of all bird species in North America — including the bald eagle — are at risk of severe population decline by 2080 if the swift pace of global warming continues, the National Audubon Society concluded in a study released Monday.

"The scale of the disruption we're projecting is a real punch in the gut," said Gary Langham, chief Audubon scientist.

Langham led an Audubon study that examined more than 500 bird species and determined that more than 300 in Canada and the United States face large climate shifts that could reduce their habitat by half or more by 2080. The changing environment will force birds to adapt to new habitats with different temperature and precipitation rates if they are to survive.

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Exotic birds could spread to Britain thanks to global warming

In the last decade Britain has suffered massive declines in many garden and farmland birds including the turtle dove and fieldfare.

But due to mild winters and conservation efforts other bird populations have grown, including the little egret and Mediterranean gull that have flown over the Channel.

Other more exotic birds like the hoopoe, fantailed warbler and great reed warbler may arrive in the future as temperatures rise further, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

The charity predicts the purple heron, black kite and tiny serin could also spread to Britain.

The British Trust for Ornithology predicted that the warm wet summers we have been experiencing could bring white storks, black-winged stilts and even glossy ibises. 

Read on: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/9588092/Exotic-birds-could-spread-to-Britain-thanks-to-global-warming.html