US EditionTropical Bird Populations Have Fallen by a Third Since 1980, Compared to a World without Climate Change
TROPICAL REGIONS WORLDWIDE, AUG 11 – A study finds heat extremes caused by human-driven climate change reduced tropical bird populations by 25-38% since 1950, with impacts larger than habitat loss in these regions.
- Research appearing this week in Nature Ecology & Evolution reveals that tropical bird numbers have dropped by 25-38% from 1950 to 2020, largely driven by increasing heat extremes in tropical regions.
- Maximilian Kotz and his team analyzed long-term data from over 3,000 bird populations worldwide, employing advanced analytical techniques to separate the impact of climate-induced heat extremes from other influencing factors.
- Heat extremes, caused by human-driven climate change, caused larger declines in tropical bird abundance than direct human pressures like habitat loss, especially as birds live near their heat tolerance limits.
- Kotz stated, "The findings are pretty stark" and that protecting habitats alone "won't be enough for birds," while another expert called this an important reminder to integrate climate impacts into conservation.
- The study suggests urgent conservation strategies must address both habitat protection and climate mitigation to prevent further declines in tropical bird populations vulnerable to heat extremes.
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30 Articles
The Washington Hispanic
TVNPreserving forests will not be enough: tropical bird populations declined dramatically due to extreme climate change-related heat, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. Extreme heat intensification "caused a 25-38% reduction" in tropical bird populations between 1950 and 2020, with respect to a situation where climate change would not have occurred, these scientists based in Europe and Australia conclud…
By a quarter to a third, tropical bird populations have declined since the middle of the last century. Researchers warn that the protection of habitats alone is not sufficient.
Study Reveals Impact Of Heat Extremes On Tropical Birds' Populations
The study found that while shifts in average temperature and rainfall have some influence, the biggest climate threat to birds, particularly in tropical regions, comes from exposure to extreme heat.
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