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How Climate Change Will Affect Birds in Arizona
Vulnerable Birds in Arizona
Highly and moderately vulnerable birds may lose more than half of their current range—the geographic area where they live—as they are forced to search for suitable habitat and climate conditions elsewhere.
Arizona
| Flyway | Central Flyway |
| State Brief | Download [PDF] |
| Website | http://az.audubon.org |
Below, find out which of the birds that nest or spend the winter in your area are most vulnerable across their entire range. Some birds may lose range outside of your state, making the protection of their current habitat in your area even more important.
How will the Painted Redstart's range be affected in Arizona?
Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns affect birds' ability to find food and reproduce, which over time impacts local populations, and ultimately continent-wide populations, too. Some species may even go extinct in your state if they cannot find the conditions they need to survive and raise their young.
Select a warming scenario to see how this species’ range will change under increased global temperatures.
Reducing warming makes many types of birds found in Arizona less vulnerable.
In order to hold warming steady, we must act now to reduce the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere and limit warming to 1.5 degrees. We must reduce our carbon emissions and also absorb what is produced through natural solutions like reforestation or with technology that removes carbon from the air.
Click the three different warming scenarios to explore how increased warming puts more species in Arizona at risk.
Arizona's Birds and Habitats
Arizona boasts more than 530 avian species in the state's varied habitats, from the sky islands of the Chiricahua Mountains to the world’s largest ponderosa pine forest. Along the western border, Willow Flycatchers and Yuma Ridgway’s Rails hunt in wetlands that follow the Colorado River. Grand Canyon National Park is a major raptor migration corridor and hosts globally significant nesting habitat for Pinyon Jays and California Condors. The woodlands, high-elevation conifer forests, and rivers of the Sonoran Desert are oases for many species.
Climate Policy in Arizona
RENEWABLE
.2 % Biomass
6.5 % Hydro
4.7 % Solar
NUCLEAR
FOSSIL FUEL
29.6 % Coal
.1 % Petroleum
BELOW 2000
BY 2025
Climate Alliance?
(Data: U.S. EIA)
Arizona has one of the greatest solar energy potentials in the nation.
Climate Threats Facing Birds and People in Arizona
Temperatures have increased about 2 degrees Fahrenheit in Arizona in the last century, leading to decreased snowpack levels and increased risk of extreme-heat days. Droughts have hurt Arizona’s top agricultural products—cattle, dairy, and vegetables—and also limited the water available for ecosystems, recreational activities, and landowners. In the coming decades, Arizona will likely experience decreased water levels in the Colorado River, increased frequency and intensity of wildfires, and grassland conversion to deserts.
The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk harm people, too. Hover over or tap an area on the map to see specific threats that will affect that area as warming increases.