Experts are sounding the alarm after noticing unusual shifts in bird migration and survival strategies. They say the changes connect directly to rising global temperatures. 

A recent report from NBC Connecticut highlighted how some species are adjusting, while others are struggling to keep up.

What's happening?

"There's this very close relationship between where birds are when on the planet and what's happening with the climate and what's happening with weather, right?" explained Andrew Farnsworth, a migration ecologist and visiting scientist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, according to the outlet. 

Certain bird species have been observed to migrate at different times of the year. Some birds can track changes in temperature. However, these changes pose a problem to bird species that can't, according to Farnsworth. 

"A lot of that connects to what's going on in the arctic, what's going on in the Boreal forests, where there are wildfires, where there are challenges that birds are facing," he added.

Why are changes in bird migration patterns concerning?

The American Bird Conservancy reported that global bird populations are declining due to factors such as habitat loss, rising global temperatures, and window collisions. 

The same report also explained how changes in temperatures are affecting the timing of bird migration patterns and egg-laying. They even impact where birds live and, reportedly, how they look. 

Impacts on birds affect humans and the environment. Birds help control pests and transform ecosystems. As pollinators, they're responsible for pollinating around 5% of plants humans use for food or medicine, according to BirdLife International. 

A study published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B journal found that temperature shifts and connected changes are causing mismatches in food supplies that could impact successful migrations.

It also outlined how changing temperatures and other factors may cause existing climates to disappear and new ones to appear. This could further affect bird populations and reshape communities through extinctions and range shifts.

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Rising global temperatures could put large numbers of bird species at risk of extinction. Audubon's Survival by Degrees report found that two-thirds of North American bird species are already facing increasing risk. 

What's being done about the changing bird migration patterns?

While putting out food for migratory birds may seem like a welcome gesture, it does have its drawbacks, wildlife biologist Francisco Rilla remarked, according to DW.

According to Rilla, giving them bread and seeds meant for human consumption might make the birds feel too full and may even expose them to predators.

What individuals can do instead to help birds is to take local action with conservation and related efforts and urge governments to support treaties such as the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.

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