Research led by James Cook University and recently published in Nature Climate Change, shows that changes in the Australian climate have caused areas with climates suitable for individual bird species have moved hundreds of kilometres in just 60 years. Also, although warming temperatures would suggest movement toward the South Pole, shifts in areas with specific climates have occurred in all directions – north, south, east and west.
JCU's Associate Professor Jeremy VanDerWal, who led the project, said the paper highlighted the impact of climate change on the habitats of hundreds of native bird species.
"Just like us, individual bird species have a particular climate niche that is most suitable for them to live in," he said. "Our research shows that the Australian climate has changed significantly over the last 60 years and this has led to the climatic niches for individual bird species having moved an average of 76 kilometres and up to a maximum of nearly 500 kilometres.
"The impact of this is that birds may have to change the areas in which they live faster than previously thought, resulting in the need for more rapid shifts in the distribution of species."
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-09-birds.html#jCp
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