Information of birds who migrate form colder region to warmer region during winter
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Bird migration allows many avian species to take advantage of seasonal variations in natural resources. By inhabiting different areas during different times of the year, bird populations are able to optimize both food availability and nesting locations. The longer days of northern summers, for example, provide extended time for breeding birds to feed their young and also help some types of birds produce more offspring at one time. As cooler weather and longer days arrive in the fall, many birds return south to warmer regions where food supply fluctuates very little from season to season [2].
American redstarts are one of the many bird species that is threatened by climate change. Some of the redstart’s favorite foods are caterpillars and magnolia seeds, but they themselves can be tasty snacks for predators such as foxes and flying squirrels! (Smithsonian Science)
Approximately 1,800 of the world’s 10,000 bird species are long-distance migrants, and in North America alone, about 350 of its 650 bird species head to the tropics for colder months [3,4]. Just how far south a bird migrates depends on the type, sex, and age of the bird. Nonetheless, whether we consider a warbler, hummingbird, swift, or shorebird, all of these migratory masters know how and when is best to fly. Most of the timing and control of migration is programmed at birth [5]. The rest is acquired over time. Birds learn to recognize various landmarks and form mental maps with the help of Earth’s magnetic field. Their annual treks can also be susceptible to environmental cues, and are made progressively more difficult as the environment itself now rapidly changes.
Hotter, Harder Migrations
Although bird species all over the globe are suffering from the effects of climate change, long-distance migrants are particularly vulnerable. Unlike birds that stay in the same place year-round, migratory species rely heavily upon separate breeding, wintering, and stopover sites. Changes to any one of these habitats can put them at risk, pushing them out of sync with crucial elements of their natural surroundings. For example, many birds are unable to advance their arrival date at breeding ground destinations to coincide with the prime time for finding insects on which they feed. Such a mismatch caused the decline of pied flycatcher populations in the Netherlands by up to 90 percent [6]. Pied flycatchers are nesting more quickly after their spring arrival in Europe, but still cannot time nestlings’ food demands with peak insect supplies, which now occur even earlier due to global warming.
How Birds Help Humans
The ability to fly (or swim in the case of penguins) means that migratory birds are able to relocate to different regions [9], yet that same mobility can leave them particularly vulnerable to climate change. Missed connections between peak breeding and peak food supply as well as habitat loss, due to warmer temperatures, pose a threat to bird migration. Add these risks to the perils that birds inherently face by traveling thousands of miles, including physical exertion as well as predation, and many long-distance migrants will face extinction. Scientists have already reported severe decreases and/or total reproductive failure in many bird populations.
Why should we care? First, the ecological services that birds provide to humanity have incredible economic value. Birds pollinate plants, disperse seeds, and control populations of pests and parasites. Our avian friends also provide people all over the world with eggs and meat for sustenance, and feathers for comfort and warmth. Second, birds provide early warning signs of health hazards in the environment. Twentieth century coal miners, for example, brought canaries into coal mines to forewarn the workers of toxic gases such as methane and carbon monoxide. Birds also alerted people to the dangers of DDT-based agricultural chemicals in the 1960s, when predatory species like the bald eagle and peregrine falcons began dying at an alarming rate [3]. Third, greater species diversity on our planet ensures more natural sustainability for all life forms. The list goes on and on.
We regularly hear that future changes to our climate will lead to drought, melting glaciers, and more frequent heat waves. Less obvious, however, is that global warming will shift patterns of bird migration and destroy many habitats in which birds breed and thrive, which in turn will reduce the economic and environmental benefits described above. To protect our health and the prosperity of our own habitats, it is critical to consider the significant consequences of climate change from all perspectives: human, avian, or otherwise.