US EditionShrinking North American bird population is getting worse faster. Experts blame agriculture, warming
Billions fewer birds and accelerating declines since 1987 are mainly linked to intensive farming and climate warming, affecting nearly half of 261 North American species studied.
- Billions fewer North American birds, study finds, linked mainly to agriculture and warming, according to the journal Science.
- Intensified farming converts habitat by cropland expansion, mechanized farming destroying nests, monocultures, and heavy fertilizer and pesticide use statistically linked to insect crashes harming insectivorous bird species.
- Since 1987, researchers analyzed 261 species and found nearly half showed significant declines, with the fastest losses in species like the European starling, American crow, grackle, and house sparrow, Marta Jarzyna said.
- With larger losses occurring further south, scientists linked these declines to warming and urged reductions in agricultural intensity and climate impacts.
- Ohio State lead author Francois Leroy warned current declines may preview species extinctions, while Cornell University conservation scientist Kenneth Rosenberg noted 3 billion fewer birds and stressed birds' ecosystem services.
38 Articles
38 Articles
Bay News 9
Spectrum NewsShrinking North American bird population is getting worse faster
The biggest locations for acceleration of bird loss were in the Mid-Atlantic, the Midwest and California.
Conservation news
ecotopical.comWarming and farming hasten bird losses across North America, study shows
After half a century of steep declines, North America’s birds are disappearing faster than ever. A new study shows that populations are shrinking across most of the continent, with intensive agriculture playing the largest role in accelerating those losses. Scientists warn the impacts extend well beyond wildlife, undermining ecosystem function and human well-being. The recent study, published in Science, relied on data collected by the Breeding …
Hotspots of accelerated North American bird decline linked to agricultural activity
Though previous research has shown that bird populations are declining across North America, a new study is the first to show that the pace of loss has picked up speed since the mid-1980s in three regions: the Midwest, California and Mid-Atlantic states. The work appears in Science.
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