More Than Half of North American Bird Species Threatened by Climate Change

Global warming “will spell trouble for most birds,” commented Gary Langham, the U.S. National Audubon Society’s chief scientist and vice president, reporting on a study on climate impacts through 2080. “Over the next six decades or so, the critical ranges of more than half the 588 North American bird species will either shrink significantly or move into uncharted territory for the animal,” AP reports. “126 bird species will end up with a much smaller area to live in, which the society says will make them endangered. An additional 188 species will lose more than half their natural range but relocate to new areas. Those moves will be threatening to the birds’ survival, too, because they will be confronted with different food and soil.”