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Vulnerable Birds in New Jersey
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.
New Jersey
| Flyway | Atlantic 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 American Goldfinch's range be affected in New Jersey?
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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey at risk.
New Jersey's Birds and Habitats
Down the shore, Sandy Hook at Gateway National Recreation Area is an excellent viewing spot for migrant raptors like Sharp-shinned Hawks and Merlins from mid-March to mid-May. Farther south, Cape May hosts legendary viewing of fall migration, attracting neotropical migrants, shorebirds, hawks, owls, and waterbirds to one small peninsula. The forests and wetlands of Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, less than 25 miles from Manhattan, host nesting birds including Wood Ducks, Virginia Rails, and Blue-winged Warblers.
Climate Policy in New Jersey
RENEWABLE
1.2 % Solar
NUCLEAR
FOSSIL FUEL
1.6 % Coal
.2 % Petroleum
OTHER
BELOW 2006
Climate Alliance?
(Data: U.S. EIA)
In 2018, New Jersey passed legislation that established a community solar program and set new energy storage, renewable energy, and efficiency goals. In 2019, the state strengthened its greenhouse gas emission target with increased monitoring and reporting.
New Jersey is a participant in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a cap-and-trade program in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic United States that aims to reduce carbon emissions from power plants.
Climate Threats Facing Birds and People in New Jersey
New Jersey sea levels have risen up to 12 inches since 1950 and could rise another inch in the next five years, eroding beaches and wetlands and also increasing damages from coastal storms. Annual rainfall and heavy downpours have increased, a pattern that could lead to regular flooding if it continues. Ocean acidification threatens commercial fishing, specifically scallop and surf clam fisheries. Heat waves threaten vulnerable communities, including children and the elderly, sick, and poor.
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.