The Cedar Waxwing, which feeds on
mostly berries with the occasional insect, is one of many seed, nut and
berry-eating birds which will be most threatened by higher temperatures. Photo:
Yuri Timofeyev
From
the melodies of songbirds to the drumming of woodpeckers, birds have long been
associated with the sound of spring. Unfortunately, recent research suggests that climate
change is driving changes in the calendar period we currently call spring—and
that these changes are harming herbivorous and mostly-herbivorous birds.
Specifically, the
research observed how different “springtime events” associated with the
reproduction of various species has changed with climate in the United Kingdom.
The study found that temperature, rather than precipitation, had the largest
influence on the timing of breeding in birds and flowering in plants. Although
these dates shifted for most animals, the most harmful consequences were found
in primary consumers. Primary consumers are essentially the middle of the food
chain, or animals that eat plants but are prey to other animals.
While primary consumers
include insects, it also means seed-eating birds such as Larks, Cardinals,
Finches and Sparrows. Environmental toxins and hunting have often threatened
our higher-in-the-food-chain predators such as the California Condor and the
Brown Pelican .
Unfortunately, climate change is beginning to threaten the smaller birds
too—the ones we may sometimes take for granted as an inherent part of our
springtime surroundings.
Posted by Ada Throckmorton
