How Climate Change Will Affect Birds in Idaho
Vulnerable Birds in Idaho
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.
Idaho
| Flyway | Central Flyway |
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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 Mountain Bluebird's range be affected in Idaho?
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 Idaho 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 Idaho at risk.
Idaho's Birds and Habitats
Around Boise, Idaho’s capital, Western Grebes dance on Lake Lowell at Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, and hundreds of raptors nest along the Snake River. The mixed grasslands, coniferous forests, and lakes of Harriman State Park, part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, host nearly 190 bird species and significant wintering populations of Trumpeter Swans. Throughout the state, Idaho’s powder-blue state bird, the Mountain Bluebird, nests in tree hollows and flits between branches in mountain meadows.
Climate Policy in Idaho
RENEWABLE
2.7 % Biomass
61.4 % Hydro
2.6 % Solar
FOSSIL FUEL
.1 % Coal
OTHER
Climate Alliance?
(Data: U.S. EIA)
In 2019, Idaho Power, a state utility, pledged to generate 100% of its electricity from clean energy by 2045.
Climate Threats Facing Birds and People in Idaho
Snowpack levels have diminished throughout Idaho, decreasing surface water supplies and shortening the winter recreation season. Droughts and wildfires threaten homes and infrastructure and change the southern Idaho landscape by accelerating the conversion of grassland 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.