Two-thirds of bird species in North America could vanish in climate crisis

Source: The Guardian

Two-thirds of bird species in North America could vanish in climate crisis

Continent could lose 389 of 604 species studied to threats from rising temperatures, higher seas, heavy rains and urbanization

Emily Holden in Washington
Thu 10 Oct 2019 15.01 BST
Last modified on Thu 10 Oct 2019 18.30 BST

Two-thirds of bird species in North America are at risk of extinction because of the climate crisis, according to a new report from researchers at the Audubon Society, a leading US conservation group.

The continent could lose 389 of the 604 types of birds studied. The species face threats to their habitats from rising temperatures, higher seas, heavy rains and urbanization.

Those at risk include the wood thrush, a well-known songbird, and the Baltimore oriole, the mascot of Maryland’s baseball team. The recognizable common loon could disappear, as could the vibrant mountain bluebird.

Bird extinctions are yet another face of the human-caused biodiversity crisis threatening up to a million animal and plant species. A related study from Cornell University last month found the US and Canada lost one in four birds – or 3 billion total – since 1970.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/10/bird-species-extinction-north-america-climate-crisis

______________________________________________________________________

Related: Two-thirds of North American birds are at increasing risk of extinction from global temperature rise. (Audubon Society)