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How Climate Change Will Affect Birds in Oregon
Vulnerable Birds in Oregon
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.
Oregon
| Flyway | Pacific 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 Golden-crowned Kinglet's range be affected in Oregon?
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 Oregon 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 Oregon at risk.
Oregon's Birds and Habitats
Crater Lake National Park hosts high-elevation birds like American Dippers and Vaux’s Swifts in its coniferous forests. More than 90 bird species, including the Greater Sage-Grouse, live in the sage steppe and grasslands of Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. During migration Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is home to hundreds of thousands of water birds, including Sandhill Cranes and Trumpeter Swans. At Fort Stevens State Park along the northwest coast, Surf Scoters, Common Loons, and Western Grebes swim just offshore.
Climate Policy in Oregon
RENEWABLE
1.6 % Biomass
61 % Hydro
.3 % Solar
FOSSIL FUEL
2.8 % Coal
OTHER
BELOW 1990
BELOW 1990
BY 2025
BY 2050
Climate Alliance?
(Data: U.S. EIA)
Oregon has a clean fuels standard, a 50-percent renewable energy goal, and a plan to phase out coal from the electricity sector. As of 2019, the state had more than 55,000 clean energy jobs and ranked 14th nationally in solar jobs.
Climate Threats Facing Birds and People in Oregon
Oregon temperatures have risen about 2 degrees Fahrenheit in the last century, increasing the risk of wildfires and causing seas to become more acidic; in the future, deserts could expand. Snow melts weeks earlier than it did 100 years ago, threatening drinking water, important salmon populations, and hydroelectric power supplies.
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.