Climate change and birds

Some of the bird species known to have already experienced substantial impacts of climate change. Clockwise from the left: Cassia Crossbill,^[1] chinstrap penguins,^[2] piping plover,^[3] Carnaby's Black Cockatoo,^[4] Black-tailed godwit,^[5] and Ethiopian Bush-crow.^[6]

Significant work has gone into analyzing the effects of climate change on birds.^[7] Like other animal groups, birds are affected by anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change. The research includes tracking the changes in species' life cycles over decades in response to the changing world,^[8] evaluating the role of differing evolutionary pressures^[9] and even comparing museum specimens with modern birds to track changes in appearance and body structure.^[10] Predictions of range shifts caused by the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on bird species are amongst the most important, as they are crucial for informing animal conservation work, required to minimize extinction risk from climate change.^[11]

Climate change mitigation options can also have varying impacts on birds. However, even the environmental impact of wind power is estimated to be much less threatening to birds than the continuing effects of climate change.^[12]