North American birds are changing their behavior to keep up with global warming, but that may not be enough.

What’s going on?

A University of California, Los Angeles study that analyzed 27 years of data showed that land species are moving north and higher in altitude and changing their annual cycles, according to the school. The 311 species studied, however, do not bring sufficiently drastic changes.

On average, the birds moved 1.1 kilometers (about 0.7 miles) north and 1.2 meters (about 4 feet) higher to escape the heat and began breeding 0.08 day earlier per year. Some species, including the black phoebe, move in the opposite direction (south in latitude and down in elevation), while others, such as the lesser goldfinch, adapt significantly to the changing environment by breeding earlier and moving north.

To keep pace with warming, birds would need to triple their adjustments.

“This is an answer that we have previously hypothesized, particularly for California birds,” said lead author and UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Morgan Tingley. , in the university report. “But now, for the first time, we can see how animals are using multiple means simultaneously to adapt to climate change, and changing the timing of key life events may well be one of the first and simplest options .”

Why is this important?

The press release stated that to compensate for temperatures 1 degree Celsius higher (an increase of 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit), the birds could travel 1,000 kilometers north (621 miles) or 300 meters higher (984 feet). Alternatively, breeding a day earlier “may simply represent the simplest and most effective method.”

Burning dirty energy sources puts a strain on people and wildlife around the world. While the global average temperature has increased by a seemingly minor amount of 1.1 degrees Celsius (more than 1.9 F) since 1880, according to NASA, most of that warming – about 0.74 to 0 .98 degrees Celsius, or 1.33 to 1.76 Fahrenheit – has occurred since. 1975.

What are we doing to protect birds?

Understanding how birds respond to these new challenges is critical to conservation efforts. So, in addition to protecting habitats, researchers and scientists can “take into account the timing of ecological events,” according to UCLA.

A recent effort to improve conservation methods is the first epigenetic clock for birds, which can be used to rapidly and accurately age seabirds. Such technology is critical to helping our beautiful feathered friends, as baby birds reportedly jumped out of their nests in Northern California this summer when temperatures reached unbearable conditions.

“While changing the timing of nesting may help birds in the short term, if they don’t move in the long term, greater conservation efforts will likely be needed,” Tingley said.

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