According to studies, the American Robin and White-throated Sparrow are just two of the 305 bird species examined which showed a dramatic northward shift in their annual migratory patterns. While this does not prove global warming in itself, it is consistent with the sort of behavior you’d expect to take place in direct reaction to a steadily warming climate. The concern is not so much for the birds themselves, but for other non-migratory bird species and animals that are left behind to suffer through the heat. Kenn Kaufman, field editor for Audubon Magazine, stressed the interdependence of everything in an ecosystem when he said about the trend: “Everything is connected. Birds are not isolated; it’s an ecosystem. It’s a system and something that happens in one area is going to affect everything else.”

While bird ranges can change for a number of different reasons, such as urban sprawl, supplemented diets and deforestation, researchers have noted that the most likely explanation for why so many different migratory birds over such a broad area are choosing to winter further north is most likely global warming. The shift is not just affecting one or two species from one or two areas – its affecting a large number of species from a large number of areas. The phenomenon is simply too widespread to be attributed entirely to only one localized cause.

So where does the report released by the National Audubon Society leave bird lovers? It refreshes in our minds the need to not contribute to the many factors causing global warming. Not only can we change our own lifestyles and encourage others to do likewise, but if we live in an area where there are non-migratory birds, we can try to be aware of their needs, providing them with food, water and shelter so that they can survive the conditions as best as possible.

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According to recent research and data, as many as 20-30% of all animal species will be at an increased risk of extinction if temperatures continue to rise. Experts estimate that an increase of more than 2.5 °C in average temperatures across the globe could have a deadly impact on existing animal species as it will make survival more difficult. This is especially the case for many birds.

The results come in the wake of a report conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007. The changes will especially affect birds as their life cycles are often closely linked with the changes in season. If those changes become almost indiscernible, birds will have a hard time functioning as they should. Neotropical migrant species, for example, are signaled by changes in temperature, daylight and wind as to when they should begin their annual migrations to the south and when they should return. The changes in temperature also affect other aspects of the bird’s lives – such as the availability of flowers, seeds and other sources of food at certain destinations. Too little food could result in major deaths in certain bird species. In addition to this, encroachment on natural habitats of birds that rely on specific habitats is also pushing birds to the brink of extinction. All of these reasons tell us that global warming could desolate bird populations across the globe.

In fact, research over the past few decades already shows that birds are being affected by the change in climate. Some bird populations seem to be changing their range in relation to the change in temperature, shifting closer to the poles in order to find their ideal average temperatures and habitats. Studies have documented that several North American warbler species have already shifted their range northward during the course of the past 24 years – and warblers are not the only species to be affected. The Great Kiskadee, White-tippe Dove, Tropical Parula, Green Jay, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Tufted Titmouse, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue-gray Grantcatcher and Northern Mockingbird have also shifted their range – some by as many as 60 miles in the last 20 or so years.

Seabirds are also not unaffected by the trend and it has been discovered that the Sooty Shearwater has also shifted its migration routes northward. The changes in temperature also affect when these birds leave for warmer or cooler climes and some birds have been found to leave up to 21 days earlier than they would have just a few years ago. It is easy to note that the shift in bird behavior is a global phenomenon and so perhaps we should take it as a warning of how the irresponsible actions of much of the human race is slowly destroying the environment that we enjoy so much. Indeed, if trends continue it could be all over for the birds and we could be the ones heading north in search of some relief from the searing heat.

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