Leviton: How has climate change affected birds? Are extinctions increasing?
Ackerman: The big threat is definitely loss of native habitat due to development, agriculture, and climate change. It’s been devastating to grassland species. Any birds that depend on old-growth forests, too, are falling by the wayside. There are areas in Australia and the northwest of the US where the loss of old-growth trees has had a huge impact. Some species really are suffering, with the hardest hit being the specialists who inhabit a narrow ecological niche and small geographic range. Island species are under great threat.
Also at risk are migratory birds that depend on precisely timing their trips between wintering and summer habitats. They stop to feed at staging grounds along the way, where insects emerge and plants bloom at a certain time. If the insect emergence happens earlier or the plants bloom earlier because of climate change, the birds might miss a vital source of food to fuel their journeys.
There are adaptive success stories too. Barred Owls and Burrowing Owls have adapted to different kinds of environments. Both have even found success living in sections of cities like cemeteries, parks, botanical gardens, even suburbs—anywhere there are big trees for roosting.
But many species are threatened or endangered. If people want to help, I suggest they support the research organizations that are doing the hard work to understand birds so that we can conserve them and their habitat. Also find out what birds live in your area and ways you might protect their habitat. Good resources are the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the American Bird Conservancy. Watching birds will expand your sense of wonder and awe and give you a window into why we should preserve as many species as we can. {read}