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Matt Kirchhoff
907/276-7034
mkirchhoff@audubon.org
Citizen Science Shows that Birds are Moving North due to Global Warming
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ANCHORAGE, AK , February 10, 2009—As the climate warms, birds across North America are shifting their ranges northward. In Alaska, some northern and ice-loving birds are running out of places to go.
A new study released today by the National Audubon Society shows that over the last 40 years, a majority of the bird species that winter in North America have shifted their ranges north—in some cases by hundreds of miles.
Within Alaska, nineteen bird species are increasing significantly in population in the winter, indicating northward shifts in their ranges. Increasing species in Alaska include waterfowl, such as the Green-winged Teal and Northern Pintail, and many familiar songbirds, such as the American Robin and Bohemian Waxwing.
“Birds are indicators of environmental change, and they are now signaling the effects of a warming climate across the continent, including in Alaska,” said Matt Kirchhoff, Director of Bird Conservation at Audubon Alaska.
“We often get calls at Audubon from people who are surprised to see American Robins during the winter in Alaska, and now we know this is part of a continent-wide trend,” said Kirchhoff.
“Some species, like American Robins, are adaptable enough to adjust to a changing climate, but that won’t be the case for many other Alaska species. Birds that nest on the North Slope, like Dunlins and Buff-breasted Sandpipers, have nowhere north to go,” said Kirchhoff. “If their nesting habitats change too much, these species will be in real trouble.”
Birds that depend on ice habitat, such as Ivory Gulls and Black Guillemots, are also losing habitat as the climate warms. Kittlitz’s Murrelets, which are often associated with tidewater glaciers, are apparently declining in population in Alaska, and this species is a candidate for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Audubon’s study is based on four decades’ worth of Christmas Bird Count data—tens of thousands of observations by volunteers since 1968. The 109-year-old Christmas Bird Count is the world’s longest uninterrupted record of bird population trends. In Alaska about 900 citizens in 35 communities participate in the Christmas Bird Count, one of the highest rates of participation in the country.
“Citizen science is helping to document the impacts of global warming on birds,” said Stan Senner, Executive Director of Audubon Alaska, “and only citizen action can help reduce those impacts.”
For more information, contact:
Matt Kirchhoff, Audubon Alaska: 907-276-7034, email
Stan Senner, Audubon Alaska: 907-276-7034, email
The full report may be viewed online here. The Birds and climate Press Room includes bird photos, audio of bird songs, and additional information.
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