Beta Fulltext view is in preview — article structure may vary. Browse all articles
Contents
International Journal of Zoology and Animal Biology Research Article 29 min read

Understanding the Effect of Climate Change on Migratory Birds: A Review

Naeem M*
* Corresponding author
ISSN: 2639-216X  10.23880/izab-16000560  Received: January 30, 2024  Published: February 20, 2024
 — views
 111 references
PDF
Keywords
Breeding Migration Distribution Shifts Community Morphology Elimination Environment
Abstract

Climate change is being referred to as a global plague and has significant negative consequences on the world’s economic, social, and ecological systems. Extreme weather consequences like drought, floods, and heat waves have had unprecedented occurrences and have had substantial effects on animals and plants. Climate change significantly influences animal phenologies, such as bird arrival and egg-laying times. As a result of these present and future climate change impacts, species interactions with their local environment are anticipated to change, resulting in changes in population size, range extent, and extinction rates. The current review discusses the effect of climate changes on migratory birds and concludes that climate change is one of the most serious dangers to world ecological systems, as indicated by the numerous ecological impacts imposed by changing climate on migratory birds. Climate change significantly affects breeding strategies, migration, distribution, latitudinal or altitudinal shift, community structure change, morphological change, and elimination or extinction of migratory birds. The current review attempts to communicate research and advances in the effect of climate change on migratory birds to different actors in society, including researchers, conservationists, practitioners, and policymakers.

Introduction

Climate change is referred to as a global plague [1]. The average worldwide temperature rise during the previous century was around 0.6-0.8°C, and the worst-case scenario predicts that by the end of the twenty-first century, the average global temperature rise will be 4.8°C [2]. This rise in global temperature is due to a variety of human economic activities that produce greenhouse gas emissions [3]. Climate change has significant negative consequences for the world’s economic, social, and ecological systems [4]. Extreme weather events such as drought, floods, and heat waves, for example, have had unprecedented occurrences and have had significant socioeconomic effects on humans [4].

Climate change also has a significant influence on plant and animal phenologies [5], such as affecting bird arrival and egg-laying times [6]. As a result of these present and future climate change impacts, species’ interactions with their local environment are anticipated to change, resulting in changes in population size, range extent, and extinction rates [7, 8].

Climate change, in general, is one of the most serious dangers to the world’s ecological systems, as indicated by the numerous ecological impacts imposed by changing climate. Drought-induced fire [9], floods [10], ocean acidification [11], melting of sea ice and sea level rise [12], heat waves [13], and diseases [11] are some of the effects of climate change on plants, human and animal populations [14]. In short, climate change has a wide range of effects on biodiversity. As a result of climate change, substantial evidence of climate-induced distributional shifts in birds has been observed in recent decades [15, 16]. However, there is a paucity of literature on the effect of climate change on migratory birds. The current review aims to examine some of the major effects of climate change on biodiversity, with a focus on migratory birds.

Effect of Climate Changes on the Migratory Birds

Effect on Breeding Strategies

Many pieces of evidence imply that many species’ phenology is altering as a result of climate change [16]. For example, a study of 65 species of UK birds found that between 1971 and 1995, 31% of species were observed to lay eggs an average of 8.8 days sooner [17]. Furthermore, between 1939 and 1995, Crick, et al. [18] discovered earlier egg-laying dates in 53% of birds, concluding that this tendency is driven by an increase in temperature. Dunn, et al. [19] conducted another phenological investigation in America and Canada, finding that Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) lay eggs nine days ahead of schedule for 32 years. Additionally, large-scale research in Europe found that flycatcher (Muscicapidae) egg-laying dates were earlier in locations where there was a larger increase in temperature [20]. The research examined the reproductive phenology of Great Tits (Parus major) in the United Kingdom over five decades, from 1961 to 2007, and discovered that these birds deposited eggs 14 days sooner than their regular egg-laying periods [21]. Further research looked at when the Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great Tit (Parus major) laid their first egg during 30 years in response to spring temperature and discovered that these species pushed their egg-laying date by 11-12 days [22]. Furthermore, 20 years of real-time monitoring on Blue Tits (C. caeruleus) revealed that their breeding advanced by 0.41 days per year [23], and an analysis of the breeding cycle of Eurasian Reed Warblers (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) revealed an 18-day shift in first egg date due to increased temperature [24]. The progression of prey phenologies, such as the availability of plentiful insect larvae that are crucial for raising nestlings, is one of the mechanisms prompting animals to modify their breeding season in response to rising temperatures [25, 26]. Absence or lack of temporal concurrence (asynchrony) may develop when the temperature rises. Plants, for particular, may blossom sooner, causing insect larvae to become a plentiful food source earlier, making them less coordinated with bird breeding periods [26].

Effect on Migration

An increasing body of research suggests that changes in bird migratory phenology in response to climate change are reflected in advances and delays in arrival and departure dates [27, 28, 29, 30]. In terms of migratory patterns, synchronisation of migration time with the accessibility of seasonal supplies is an essential characteristic that helps birds survive. This is because the fundamental element prompting birds to migrate is seasonality in resource availability [31]. Climate change has resulted in a mismatch between birds’ migration phenology and food availability, leading to a 90% reduction in many populations of Eurasian Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) [25]. This climate-driven mismatch has detrimental implications, including decreased reproductive success and population shrinkage [32, 33].

In response to global temperature change, many species move geographically [6, 16, 34]. Despite significant variability in bird migratory phenologies, research has shown that arrival and departure times have shifted in recent periods of global warming [35]. A phenological analysis of the mean spring passage time of 24 long- and short-distance migrants, for example, indicated a progression of spring passage time ranging from 1 to 7 hours each year [36]. The influence of the high North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) detected throughout the research was responsible for this development. On the other hand, in research that looked at the initial arrival dates of six long-distance migratory trans-Saharan birds, Gordo, et al. [37] found that all species had a delay in spring arrival dates, with the Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) having the longest delay of 8 days every year. The study concluded that the climatic conditions in these species’ wintering grounds (Southern Africa) were likely to increase the availability of food sources and postpone their departure dates. As a result, changes in migratory phenology caused by climate change can be linked to changes in biodiversity.

Effect on Distribution

Among the key variables that determine species distributions are land-use change, habitat alteration, interactions among species, and adaptations to environmental changes [38, 39, 40]. Furthermore, global climate change has been shown to have a significant impact on the range limits of species throughout their distributional gradients [15, 41, 42]. Climate change causes species to migrate to higher elevations and latitudes [16]. Understanding why species experience these latitudinal and altitudinal shifts is critical for predicting climate change’s impact on biodiversity. Although the main tendency of distributional changes is towards higher altitudes and latitudes, species demonstrate a variety of reactions [43]. These disparities in species’ reactions to climate change might be due to a variety of causes. Spatiotemporal changes in climate change might be regarded one of the most significant factors [44, 45]. Furthermore, certain species may adapt swiftly to climate change consequences while others may take longer [46, 47].

Furthermore, non-climatic variables may modify species’ reactions to climate change. Species can migrate downward slope to meet ecological demands, such as water [48], or to take advantage of the decreased rate of competition in their ranges [49]. This is because species at lower elevations in mountainous locations have wider range sizes than those at higher altitudes [50]. Ecological interactions, such as changes in phenology and microhabitats of species, as well as evolutionary adaptations [6, 16], may also explain variances in the degree and extent of variation in range shifts across species. Significantly, if climate change is not the primary driver of species’ latitudinal and altitudinal changes, land use change caused by agricultural and industrial activities can induce species to move in several directions rather than moving straight to higher latitudes and altitudes [47].

Effect on Latitudinal Shifting

Species ranges are ever-changing [5]. Birds’ latitudinal ranges have shifted as a result of climate change [51, 52]. Lower-latitude species travel to higher latitudes to track their appropriate climatic niches in response to the influence of climate change. This climate-driven change in bird distribution has been well documented. For example, in the last 20 years, the northern borders of southerly bird species in the United Kingdom have shifted North by an average of 18.9 kilometres. McDonald, et al. [51] found that birds in eastern North America moved northward in response to a 1.3°C rise in regional temperature between 1966 and 2010. This is because temperate species’ cold limits may respond to the direct effects of temperature fluctuation faster than warm species’ warm boundaries. Similarly, the northern latitudinal border of some bird species in the United Kingdom [53] and North America [54] mirrored winter temperatures in these areas. Between 1990 and 2008, a community composition analysis revealed 37 and 114 km northward movements in birds and butterflies, respectively, at the European scale [55].

To monitor favourable circumstances, species are shifting their ranges by varying geographical extents and magnitudes in response to climate change [6, 56, 57, 58]. For illustration, a global review of the impact of climate change on 273 plant, bird, mammalian, and marine invertebrates found that 54% of bird species migrated in various directions in distinct geographic zones [59]. A species distribution modelling investigation of the possible ranges of 431 European birds revealed a change in the average range of centroids of 258-882 kilometres [57]. Furthermore, various taxonomic groupings have shown varied rates of range extension [16]. For instance, climate change effect research in the United Kingdom that included data on lesser-known vertebrates and invertebrates found rates of northward and upward range boundary expansions ranging from 1.37 to 2.48 km per year [56]. However, it is not just environmental factors that cause species to shift their ranges, but also their other characteristics, for example, colour and morphology [60, 61].

Effect on Altitudinal Shifting

Shifts in altitudinal range limits as a result of climate change have been a typical occurrence in recent decades. Altitudinal shift research on European breeding birds indicated that climate change is the principal driver driving birds upwards in elevation to name a few studies [62]. Climate change may be a factor pushing species to migrate to higher elevations, according to another case study on Spanish passerines [63]. A worldwide survey of 4978 terrestrial bird species found significant elevational temperature gradients in most regions of the world, except Australasia, insular Indo- Malaya, and the Neotropical lowlands, where the gradients were weak [61, 64]. Because climate change can affect species to the point of local extinction in mountains with a large number of endemic species with narrow elevational ranges [65, 66, 67, 68], understanding this altitudinal shift is critical for managing and conserving species. Mountains are also distinctive in that they are home to a high number of species with limited ranges. High mountain species will have a stronger inclination to go up towards the peaks when environmental circumstances change, to the point where they will be left with nowhere to go [69].

Climate change’s effects on birds' migratory and reproductive phenology, as well as latitudinal and altitudinal range changes, influence the makeup of their communities and demographic rates [70]. In general, understanding organisms’ ability to shift into their climatically preferred niches is beneficial to conservation because it provides information on the likelihood of extinction, extirpation, or range reduction of species [71], as well as potential changes in community composition [72, 73].

Effect on Community Change

There is currently inadequate research available to highlight the effects of simply climate change in explaining spatiotemporal changes in species and community makeup. Instead, it has been discovered that the synergistic impacts of climate change with other variables have a significant influence in determining these compositions [74]. Nonetheless, studies have been conducted that show shifts in species composition as a result of organisms’ responses to changing environmental circumstances. Dornelas, et al. [75] reported a multi-taxon worldwide analysis of 35,613 species from all biomes, including birds, fish, mammals, invertebrates, and plants, which revealed changes in species composition from 1870 to the present. Climate change, according to this study, might be one of the causes causing the shift in species composition in the terrestrial, marine, and freshwater biomes studied across time [75]. Climate change is known to affect bird demography, causing population levels to shrink over time [76]. As a result of this loss, species may become more sensitive to the effects of climate change [77, 78]. The influence of temperature on bird communities was shown in research that looked at the change in species composition in European short- and long- distance migrants and residents between 1980 and 1990 [79]. The number and proportion of long-distance migrants decreased as the temperature rose; however, the number and proportion of short-distance migrants and residents grew. Short-distance migrants and residents benefit from fewer extreme temperatures, but long-distance migrants face a serious hazard from exceptionally warm winters [79]. Emperor Penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) saw a significant reduction in mating pairs in Terre Adele, Antarctica, from 6,000 to 400, according to modelling research that looked at long-term population data (1962–2100) and the amount of sea ice [80]. Similarly, in a long-term investigation of changes in migration phenology of 100 migratory species in central Europe and Fennoscandia, Moller, et al. [81] found that species that failed to extend their spring migration timing had a drop in population size. Those species that progressed their migratory phenology between 1960 and 2006, on the other hand, saw an increase in population size. However, mistiming due to the synchronicity issue between migration and changing food availability in response to climate change can lead to low reproductive success in maintaining the population [25]. Furthermore, Pearce-Higgins demonstrated the impact of temperature and precipitation on variations in the abundance of 59 English bird species. A rise in spring and summer temperatures, in particular, has a severe impact on specialised species like the cold.

Effect on Morphology

Global patterns of variation in bird growth within species can be used to make predictions about how climate change would affect growth-related features [82]. Two hypotheses can explain the observed variance in endotherm body size responses to climate change: size rises with climatic variability (the hunger resistance theory) and size declines as mean temperatures rise (the heat exchange hypothesis), according to Gardner, et al. [83]. Even though not universal, the loss of species’ body size as a result of climate change is a common occurrence [84, 85, 86]. Understanding the evolution of physical traits in birds aids in the identification of patterns of regional variation in body size. Furthermore, size dimorphism is important in the research on body size variation in response to environmental influences [87]. Variations in climate change, food availability, habitat appropriateness, and latitude are among these influences [88]. Changing body size can happen over time as a result of climate change [85]. For example, a long-time series of wing measurement data on 2,702 Citril Finches (Carduelis citronella) in the Pre-Pyrenees, Spain, revealed an increasing trend in wing length in relation to body size with increasing winter temperature, implying that this result is an adaptive response of the species to changing climate [89]. However, research including over 4,500 specimens of 11 bird species collected in central Germany and the Fennoscandia area between 1889 and 2010 found no clear trend in changes in physical features examined [90]. The lack of continuous change in morphological features through time, according to this study, may not be compatible with the concept that climate change is causing creatures to shrink in size. Salewski, et al. [91] found an inconsistent pattern of change in morphological features of European Stonechat (Saxicola torquata) with rising temperatures from 1989 to 2012, suggesting that the concept that climate change affects species body size is unclear. Similarly, Kruuk, et al. [92] found that different climatic factors had different effects on morphological features in Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus) chicks in South-eastern Australia between 1988 and 2013. However, ecological laws play a vital role in characterising the ecology of organisms in their natural settings. Because of their thermoregulatory requirements, species in warmer geographic zones are smaller, according to Bergmann’s rule [93]. A study of 94 bird species and 149 mammal species to support this rule found that resident species obey the rule more than migratory species [94]. Fasting endurance is one putative mechanism underpinning this rule, in which big species have a greater percentage of energy storage than small animals [95, 96]. Another probable reason is that smaller bodies lose more heat and larger bodies save more heat, which gives a thermoregulatory advantage in hot and cold regions, respectively [85].

Conversely, recent research comparing the body masses of eight female and nine male House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) populations in Finland between 1984/85 and 2009 revealed the reverse of Bergmann’s rule [97]. Between 1984/85 and 2009, this study discovered a 1.5g loss in a 33g bird as latitude increased, with no significant temporal change in meteorological factors. Allen’s ecogeographical rule, for example, has been used to support morphological changes in species as a result of climate change. This rule asserts that endothermic animals living in hot climate zones have significantly larger appendages (to allow heat escape) whereas those living in cool climate zones have fewer appendages to assist them in saving heat [98, 99]. For example, a study of long-term morphological data of five species of Australian parrots found a 4-10% increase in bill size with an increase in temperature from 1971 to 2008 [100]. In line with Allen’s rule, in a global examination of 214 bird species, Symonds, et al. [101] found that birds living in colder climate zones have considerably smaller bills. Furthermore, a study by Danner, et al. [102] that looked at the impact of climate variables on changes in the bill sizes of 274 Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) along the eastern seaboard of the United States found that shorter bill sizes were preferred in colder winters to avoid extra heat loss. However, during global warming, both losses and increases in wing length of passerines have been seen, contradicting Allen’s rule [103].

Effect on Extinction or Elimination

Temperature increases have been shown to accelerate the phenology of prey [16, 41], which might lead to a mismatch between the availability of these and the predator reproductive period [26]. As a result, the population number may decrease [25], thus putting the species at risk of extinction. Concerns about biodiversity loss have grown as a result of the current high rate of species extinction [7]. Organisms’ extinction risk is increased by a variety of processes. Because of the loss or decrease of their climatically appropriate locations, species are expected to face extinction as a result of the unprecedented increase in the pace of global warming (IPCC, 2013). Furthermore, various species’ geographic ranges vary at different rates [56]. According to climate niche suitability analyses, the climatically suitable area of Stresemann’s Bush-crow (Zavattariornis Stresemann) is predicted to become extinct under the climate change scenarios considered. Other bird species included in this study, on the other hand, remained and exhibited either a drop or an increase in their acceptable climatic niches.

The danger of extinction is particularly high when the rate of climatic change surpasses the ability of species to alter their ranges [42, 104, 105]. A recent worldwide analysis of bird elevational distribution found that having a small altitudinal range is one of the strongest predictors of bird extinction [106]. Another worldwide meta-analysis that used data from 131 research studies to predict the average extinction rate of species under future climate change found that under the business-as-usual climate change scenario, one in every six species will become extinct [107]. This research also explained that as a result of future climate change, species loss will not only grow but also accelerate. In general, bird species are affected not just by an increase in temperature, but also by the magnitude and frequency of extreme climatic events [108]. Furthermore, extinction risk is linked to morphological, ecological, and demographic changes [109, 110, 111].

Conclusion

The reviewed literature suggests that climate change has a significant effect on plant and animal phenologies in general and specifically on the lives and communities of migratory birds. Climate change in general is one of the most serious dangers to world socioeconomic and ecological systems, as indicated by the numerous ecological impacts imposed by changing climate, many of which have significant socioeconomic consequences. Climate change has a greater impact on breeding strategies, migration, distribution, latitudinal or altitudinal shift, community structure change, morphological change, and elimination or extinction of migratory birds. The current review explains the effect of climate change on migration birds but there is still a lack of information on how the migratory birds adapt themselves to the change of climate. However, less data is available to analyse the variation and correlation between published results on the effect of climate change on a specific strategy of migratory birds. Further studies should be carried out to investigate the adaptability of migration birds to the change of climate.

References

  1. Chadwick AE (2016) Climate change, health, and communication: a primer. Health Communication 31(6): 782-785.
  2. Stocker TF, Qin D, Plattner GK, Alexander LV, Allen SK, et al. (2013) Technical summary. In Climate change 2013: The physical science basis: Contribution of working group I to the fifth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge University Press pp: 33-115.
  3. Li G, Yuan Y (2014) Impact of regional development on carbon emission: Empirical evidence across countries. Chinese Geographical Science 24(5): 499-510.
  4. Hansen BB, Isaksen K, Benestad RE, Kohler J, Pedersen A, et al. (2014) Warmer and wetter winters: characteristics and implications of an extreme weather event in the High Arctic. Environmental Research Letters 9(11): 10.
  5. Seppa H, Schurgers G, Miller PA, Bjune AE, Giesecke T, et al. (2014) Trees tracking a warmer climate: The Holocene range shift of hazel (Corylus avellana) in northern Europe. The Holocene 25(1): 53-63.
  6. Parmesan C (2006) Ecological and evolutionary responses to recent climate change. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 37(1): 637-669.
  7. Pimm S, Jenkins C, Abell R, Brooks T, Gittleman J, et al. (2014) The biodiversity of species and their rates of extinction, distribution, and protection. Science 344(6187): 1246752.
  8. Stenseth NC, Durant JM, Fowler MS, Matthysen E, Adriaensen F, et al. (2015) Testing for effects of climate change on competitive relationships and coexistence between two bird species. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 282(1807): 20141958.
  9. Alencar AA, Brando PM, Asner GP, Putz FE (2015) Landscape fragmentation, severe drought, and the new Amazon forest fire regime. Ecological Applications 25(6): 1493-1505.
  10. Wang X, Yang T, Krysanova V, Yu Z (2015) Assessing the impact of climate change on flood in an alpine catchment using multiple hydrological models. Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment 29(8): 2143-2158.
  11. Rios A F, Resplandy L, Garcia-Ibanez MI, Fajar Noelia M, Velo A, et al. (2015) Decadal acidification in the water masses of the Atlantic Ocean. PNAS 112(32): 9950-9955.
  12. Rignot E, Velicogna I, Van den Broeke M, Monaghan A J, Lenaerts JTM (2011) Acceleration of the contribution of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets to sea level rise. Geophysical Research Letters 38(5): 1-5.
  13. Schoetter R, Cattiaux J, Douville H (2015) Changes of western European heat wave characteristics projected by the CMIP5 ensemble. Climate Dynamics 45(5): 1601- 1616.
  14. Reiner R, Smith D, Gething P (2014) Climate change urbanization and disease: summer in the city. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 109(3): 171-172.
  15. Chen CI, Hill JK, Ohlemuller R, Roy DB, Thomas CD (2011) Rapid range shifts of species associated with high levels of climate warming. Science 333(6045): 1024-1026.
  16. Parmesan C, Yohe G (2003) A globally coherent fingerprint of climate change impacts across natural systems. Nature 421(6918): 37-42.
  17. Crick HQP, Dudley C, Glue DE, Thomson DL (1997) UK birds are laying eggs earlier. Nature 388(6642): 526.
  18. Crick HQP, Sparks TH (1999) Climate change related to egg-laying trends. Nature 399(6735): 423.
  19. Dunn P, Winkler D (1999) Climate change has affected the breeding date of tree swallows throughout North America. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B-Biological Sciences 266(1437): 2487-2490.
  20. Both C, Artemyev A, Blaauw B, Cowie R, Dekhuijzen A, et al. (2004) Large-scale geographical variation confirms that climate change causes birds to lay earlier. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 271(1549): 1657-1662.
  21. Charmantier A, Cole L, Perrins C, Kruuk L, Sheldon B (2008) Adaptive phenotypic plasticity in response to climate change in a wild bird population. Science 320(5877): 800-803.
  22. Matthysen E, Adriaensen F, Dhondt A (2011) Multiple responses to increasing spring temperatures in the breeding cycle of Blue and Great Tits (Cyanistes caeruleus, Parus major). Global Change Biology 17(1): 1-16.
  23. Potti J (2009) Advanced breeding dates in relation to recent climate warming in a Mediterranean montane population of Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus. Journal of Ornithology 150(4): 893-901.
  24. Halupka L, Dyrcz A, Borowiec M (2008) Climate change affects breeding of reed warblers Acrocephalus scirpaceus. Journal of Avian Biology 39(1): 95-100.
  25. Both C, Bouwhuis S, Lessells K, Visser M (2006) Climate change and population declines in a long-distance migrant. Nature 441(7089): 81-83.
  26. Visser ME, Noordwijk AJ Van, Tinbergen JM, Lessells CM (1998) Warmer springs lead to mistimed reproduction in great tits (Parus major). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences 265(1408): 1867-1870.
  27. Chambers LE, Beaumont LJ, Hudson IL (2014) Continental scale analysis of bird migration timing: influences of climate and life history traits-a generalized mixture model clustering and discriminant approach. International Journal of Biometeorology 58(6): 1147- 1162.
  28. Jonzen N, Linden A, Ergon T, Knudsen E, Vik JO, et al. (2006) Rapid advance of spring arrival dates in long- distance migratory birds. Science 312(5782): 1959- 1961.
  29. Lehikoinen A (2011) Advanced autumn migration of sparrowhawk has increased the predation risk of long- distance migrants in Finland. PloS One 6(5): 20001- 20001.
  30. Tottrup A, Rainio K, Coppack T, Lehikoinen E, Rahbek C, et al. (2010) Local temperature fine-tunes the timing of spring migration in birds. Integrative and Comparative Biology 50(3): 293-304.
  31. Kellermann JL, Van Riper C (2015) Detecting mismatches of bird migration stopover and tree phenology in response to changing climate. Oecologia 178(4): 1227- 1238.
  32. Rockwell SM, Bocetti CI, Marra PP (2012) Carry-over effects of winter climate on spring arrival date and reproductive success in an endangered migratory bird, Kirtland’s Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii). The Auk 129(4): 744-752.
  33. Both C, Van Turnhout C, Bijlsma R, Siepel H, Van Strien A, et al. (2010) Avian population consequences of climate change are most severe for long-distance migrants in seasonal habitats. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences 277: 1259-1266.
  34. Hansen J, Sato M, Ruedy R (2012) Perception of climate change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 109(37): E2415-23.
  35. Bitterlin LR, Van Buskirk J (2014) Ecological and life history correlates of changes in avian migration timing in response to climate change. Climate Research 61(2): 109-121.
  36. Hüppop O, Hüppop K (2003) North Atlantic Oscilation and timing of spring migration in birds. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Science 270(1512): 233- 240.
  37. Gordo O, Brotons L, Ferrer X, Comas P (2005) Do changes in climate patterns in wintering areas affect the timing of spring arrival of trans-Saharan migrant birds? Global Change Biology 11(1): 12-21.
  38. Beale C, Lennon J, Gimona A (2009) Opening the climate envelope reveals no macroscale associations with climate in European birds. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 105(39): 14908-14912.
  39. Huntley B, Collingham YC, Green RE, Hilton GM, Rahbek C, et al. (2006) Potential impacts of climatic change upon geographical distributions of birds. Ibis 148(S1): 8-28.
  40. Sorte FA La, Thompson FR (2007) Poleward shifts in winter ranges of north American birds. Ecology 88(7): 1803-1812.
  41. Root TL, Price JT, Hall KR, Schneider SH, Rosenzweig C, et al. (2003) Fingerprints of global warming on wild animals and plants. Nature 421(6918): 57-60.
  42. Thomas CD, Cameron A, Green RE, Bakkenes M, Beaumont LJ, et al. (2004) Extinction risk from climate change. Nature 427(6970): 145-148.
  43. Walther GR, Post E, Convey P, Menzel A, Parmesan C, et al. (2002) Ecological responses to recent climate change. Nature 416: 389-395.
  44. Booth ELJ, Byrne JM, Johnson DL (2012) Climatic changes in western North America, 1950–2005. International Journal of Climatology 32(15): 2283-2300.
  45. Chan D, Wu Q (2015) Significant anthropogenic-induced changes of climate classes since 1950. Scientific Reports 5(1): 13487.
  46. Gauzere P, Jiguet F, Devictor V (2015) Rapid adjustment of bird community compositions to local climatic variations and its functional consequences. Global Change Biology 21(9): 3367-3378.
  47. Van der Putten WH (2012) Climate change, aboveground- belowground interactions, and species’ range shifts. Annual Review of Ecology Evolution and Systematics 43: 365-383.
  48. Elsen PR, Tingley MW (2015) Global mountain topography and the fate of montane species under climate change. Nature Climate Change 5: 772-776.
  49. Lenoir J, Gegout JC, Guisan A, Vittoz P, Wohlgemuth T, et al. (2010) Going against the flow: potential mechanisms for unexpected downslope range shifts in a warming climate. Ecography 33(2): 295-303.
  50. Beniston M (2003) Climatic change in mountain regions: a review of possible impacts. Climatic Change 59: 5-31.
  51. McDonald KW, McClure CJW, Rolek BW, Hill GE (2012). Diversity of birds in eastern North America shifts north with global warming. Ecology and Evolution, 2(12): 3052-3060.
  52. Thomas C. D, Lennon JJ (1999) Birds extend their ranges northwards. Nature 399: 213.
  53. Williamson K (1975) Birds and climatic change. Bird Study 22(3): 143-164.
  54. Root T (1988) Energy constraints on avian distributions and abundances. Ecology 69(2): 330-339.
  55. Devictor V, Swaay CV, Brereton T, Brotons L, Chamberlain D, et al. (2012) Differences in the climatic debts of birds and butterflies at a continental scale. Nature Climate Change 2: 121-124.
  56. Hickling R, Roy DB, Hill JK, Fox R, Thomas CD (2006) The distributions of a wide range of taxonomic groups are expanding polewards. Global Change Biology 12(3): 450-455.
  57. Huntley B, Collingham Y, Willis S, Green R (2008) Potential impacts of climatic change on European breeding birds. PloS One 3(1): e1439.
  58. Pearson RG, Thuiller W, Araújo MB, Brotons L, McClean C, et al. (2006) Model-based uncertainty in species range prediction. Journal of Biogeography 33(10): 1704-1711.
  59. Reinemer DKG, Rahel FJ (2015) Inconsistent range shifts within species highlight idiosyncratic responses to climate warming. PLOS ONE 10(7): e0132103.
  60. Angert AL, Crozier LG, Rissler LJ, Gilman SE, Tewksbury JJ, et al. (2011) Do species’ traits predict recent shifts at expanding range edges? Ecology Letters 14(7): 677-689.
  61. Koschová M, Kuda F, Hořák D, Reif J (2014) Species’ ecological traits correlate with predicted climatically- induced shifts of European breeding ranges in birds. Community Ecology: 15(2): 139-146.
  62. Reif J, Flousek J (2012) The role of species’ ecological traits in climatically driven altitudinal range shifts of central European birds. Oikos 121(7): 1053-1060.
  63. Zamora R, Barea-Azcón J (2015) Long-term changes in mountain Passerine bird communities in the Sierra Nevada (Southern Spain): A 30-year case study. Ardeola 62(1): 3-18.
  64. La Sorte FA, Butchart SHM, Jetz W, Böhning-Gaese K (2014) Range-wide latitudinal and elevational temperature gradients for the world’s terrestrial birds: Implications under global climate change. PLOS ONE 9(5): e98361.
  65. Brooks T, Mittermeier R, Fonseca G, Gerlach J, Hoffmann M, et al. (2006) Global biodiversity conservation priorities. Science 313(5783): 58-61.
  66. Brooks T, Mittermeier R, Fonseca G, Gerlach J, Hoffmann M, et al. (2010) Global biodiversity conservation priorities: an expanded review. In: Lovett JC, Ockwell DG (Eds.), A handbook of Environmental Management. USA 313(5783): 8-29.
  67. La Sorte FA, Jetz W (2010) Projected range contractions of montane biodiversity under global warming. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 277(1699): 3401-3410.
  68. Sekercioglu C, Schneider S, Fay J, Loarie S (2008) Climate change, elevational range shifts, and bird extinctions. Conservation Biology: The Journal of the Society for Conservation Biology 22(1): 140-150.
  69. Colwell R, Brehm G, Cardelus C, Gilman A, Longino J (2008) Global warming, elevational range shifts, and lowland biotic attrition in the wet tropics. Science 322(5899): 258-261.
  70. Pautasso M (2012) Observed impacts of climate change on terrestrial birds in Europe: an overview. Italian Journal of Zoology 79(2): 296-314.
  71. Thomas CD (2010) Climate, climate change and range boundaries. Diversity and Distributions 16(3): 488-495.
  72. Gilman SE, Urban MC, Tewksbury J, Gilchrist GW, Holt RD (2010) A framework for community interactions under climate change. Trends in Ecology Evolution 25(6): 325- 331.
  73. Lawler JJ, Shafer SL, White D, Kareiva P, Maurer EP, et al. (2009) Projected climate‐induced faunal change in the Western Hemisphere. Ecology 90(3): 588-597.
  74. Brook BW, Sodhi NS, Bradshaw CJA (2008) Synergies among extinction drivers under global change. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 23(8): 453-460.
  75. Dornelas M, Gotelli NJ, McGill B, Shimadzu H, Moyes F, et al. (2014) Assemblage time series reveal biodiversity change but not systematic loss. Science 344(6181): 296- 299.
  76. Robinson RA, Baillie SR, Crick HQP (2007) Weather- dependent survival: implications of climate change for passerine population processes. Ibis 149(2): 357-364.
  77. Sæther BE, Tufto J, Engen S, Jerstad K, Røstad OW, et al. (2000) Population dynamical consequences of climate change for a small temperate songbird. Science 287(5454): 854-856.
  78. Saether BE, Engen S (2010) Population consequences of climate change. Effects of Climate Change on Birds pp: 191-211.
  79. Lemoine N, Böhning Gaese K (2003) Potential impact of global climate change on species richness of long- distance migrants. Conservation Biology 17(2): 577-586.
  80. Jenouvrier S, Caswell H, Barbraud C, Holland M, Stroeve J, et al. (2009) Demographic models and IPCC climate projections predict the decline of an emperor penguin population. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106(6): 1844-1847.
  81. Moller AP, Rubolini D, Lehikoinen E (2008) Populations of migratory bird species that did not show a phenological response to climate change are declining. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105(42): 16195- 16200.
  82. Sauve D, Friesen VL, Charmantier A (2021) The effects of weather on avian growth and implications for adaptation to climate change. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 9(569741): 1-20.
  83. Gardner JL, Amano T, Peters A, Sutherland WJ, Mackey B, et al. (2019) Australian songbird body size tracks climate variation: 82 species over 50 years. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 286(1916): 20192258.
  84. Gardner JL, Amano T, Backwell PRY, Ikin K, Sutherland WJ, et al. (2014) Temporal patterns of avian body size reflect linear size responses to broadscale environmental change over the last 50 years. Journal of Avian Biology 45(6): 529-535.
  85. Goodman RE, Lebuhn G, Seavy NE, Gardali T, Bluso- Demers JD (2012) Avian body size changes and climate change: warming or increasing variability. Global Change Biology 18(1): 63-73.
  86. Sheridan JA, Bickford D (2011) Shrinking body size as an ecological response to climate change. Nature Climate Change 1(8): 401-406.
  87. Jakubas D, Wojczulanis-Jakubas K, Jensen JK (2014) Body size variation of European storm Petrels Hydrobates pelagicus in relation to environmental variables. Acta Ornithologica 49(1): 71-82.
  88. Lawson AM, Weir JT (2014) Latitudinal gradients in climatic-niche evolution accelerate trait evolution at high latitudes. Ecology Letters 17(11): 1427-1436.
  89. Bjorklund M, Borras A, Cabrera J, Senar JC (2015) Increase in body size is correlated to warmer winters in a passerine bird as inferred from time series data. Ecology and Evolution 5(1): 59-72.
  90. Salewski V, Hochachka WM, Flinks H (2014) Changes in Stonechat Saxicola torquata morphology: a response to climate change?. Journal of Ornithology 155: 601-609.
  91. Salewski V, Karl-Heinz S, Hochachka WM, Woog F, Fiedler W (2014) Morphological change to birds over 120 years is not explained by thermal adaptation to climate change. PLoS ONE 9(7): e101927-e101927.
  92. Kruuk LEB, Osmond HL, Cockburn A (2015) Contrasting effects of climate on juvenile body size in a Southern Hemisphere passerine bird. Global Change Biology 21(8): 2929-2941.
  93. Husby A, Hille SM, Visser ME (2011) Testing mechanisms of Bergmann’s rule: Phenotypic decline but no genetic change in body size in three Passerine bird populations. The American Naturalist 178(2): 202-213.
  94. Meiri S, Dayan T (2003) On the validity of Bergmann’s rule. Journal of Biogeography 30(3): 331-351.
  95. Ashton KG (2002) Patterns of within-species body size variation of birds: strong evidence for Bergmann’s rule. Global Ecology and Biogeography 11(6): 505-523.
  96. Gardner JL, Peters A, Kearney MR, Joseph L, Heinsohn R (2011) Declining body size: a third universal response to warming?. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 26(6): 285- 291.
  97. Brommer JE, Hanski IK, Kekkonen J, Vaisanen RA (2015) Bergmann on the move: a temporal change in the latitudinal gradient in body mass of a wild passerine. Journal of Ornithology 156: 1105-1112.
  98. Allen JA (1877) The influence of physical conditions in the genesis of species. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
  99. Serrat MA, King D, Lovejoy CO (2008) Temperature regulates limb length in homeotherms by directly modulating cartilage growth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105(49): 19348-19353.
  100. Campbell TD, Janet E, Gardner JL, Kearney MR, Symonds MRE (2015) Climate-related spatial and temporal variation in bill morphology over the past century in Australian parrots. Journal of Biogeography 42(6): 1163-1175.
  101. Symonds MRE, Tattersall GJ (2010) Geographical variation in bill size across bird species provides evidence for Allen’s rule. The American Naturalist 176(2): 188-197.
  102. Danner RM, Greenberg R (2015) A critical season approach to Allen’s rule: bill size declines with winter temperature in a cold temperate environment. Journal of Biogeography 42(1): 114-120.
  103. Yom-Tov Y, Yom-Tov S, Wright J, Thorne CJR, Feu RD (2006) Recent changes in body weight and wing length among some British passerine birds. Oikos 112(1): 91- 101.
  104. Devictor V, Julliard R, Couvet D, Jiguet F (2008) Birds are tracking climate warming, but not fast enough. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 275(1652): 2743-2748.
  105. Forero-Medina G, Terborgh J, Socolar SJ, Pimm SL (2011) Elevational ranges of birds on a tropical Montane gradient lag behind warming temperatures. PLoS ONE 6(12): e28535-e28535.
  106. White RL, Bennett PM (2015) Elevational distribution and extinction risk in birds. PLOS ONE 10(4): e0121849-e0121849.
  107. Bambrick H, Moncada S, Briguglio M (2015) Climate change and health vulnerability in informal urban settlements in the Ethiopian Rift valley. Environmental Research Letters 10(5): 54014.
  108. Jentsch A, Kreyling J, Boettcher-Treschkow J, Beierkuhnlein C (2009) Beyond gradual warming: extreme weather events alter flower phenology of European grassland and heath species. Global Change Biology 15(4): 837-849.
  109. Owens IPF, Bennett PM (2000) Ecological basis of extinction risk in birds: Habitat loss versus human persecution and introduced predators. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 97(22): 12144-12148.
  110. Sekercioglu C, Primack R, Wormworth J (2012) The effects of climate change on tropical birds. Biological Conservation 148: 1-18.
  111. Sekercioglu CH (2007) Conservation ecology: Area trumps mobility in fragment bird extinctions. Current Biology 17(10): 909.
More from this journal

Cite this article

BibTeX
APA
RIS
@article{naeem2024,
  title   = {Understanding the Effect of Climate Change on Migratory Birds: A
Review},
  author  = {Naeem M},
  journal = {International Journal of Zoology and Animal Biology},
  year    = {2024},
  volume  = {7},
  number  = {1},
  doi     = {10.23880/izab-16000560}
}
Naeem M (2024). Understanding the Effect of Climate Change on Migratory Birds: A
Review. International Journal of Zoology and Animal Biology, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.23880/izab-16000560
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Understanding the Effect of Climate Change on Migratory Birds: A
Review
AU  - Naeem M
JO  - International Journal of Zoology and Animal Biology
PY  - 2024
VL  - 7
IS  - 1
DO  - 10.23880/izab-16000560
ER  -