Scientists make worrying discovery after studying bird behavior across North America: 'They can't move fast enough'

A new study from Yale University that tracked the movements of 406 species of North American birds revealed a troubling pattern: Even the fastest birds can't outfly the dangers of the warming planet.

What's happening?

The study was published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, and it tracked the movements of these species over two decades alongside corresponding temperature changes in their regions. 

Even when birds relocated to cooler areas in response to rising temperatures, researchers found, they couldn't escape the heat.

"They can't move fast enough or far enough to keep up with how quickly climate change is occurring," lead author Jeremy Cohen said.

Several species of birds relocated 40 to 50 miles north, often to higher elevations. And while this meant they experienced only roughly half of the temperature increase that they would have if they had stayed put, they still experienced a dramatic increase. 

Winter was even worse, with most species only able to avoid approximately 11% of expected warming and nearly all species experiencing temperature increases of 6.6 degrees Fahrenheit across the two decades.

Additionally, nearly 25% of species were unable to relocate to cooler climes because of factors including limited flight capability and local ecological dependencies.

Why is this discovery so worrying?

A key reason that this is so concerning to scientists is that if birds can't escape rising temperatures, it's unlikely any species can.

"This raises deep concerns about the ability of all the other, less mobile species and lesser-known species to persist in a warmer world," co-author Walter Jetz said. 

For example, reptiles and mammals have been trapped in increasingly sweltering climates, which negatively impact nearly every aspect of their lives.

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Higher temperatures affect the growth cycles of plants, too, leading many animal species to go hungry or run out of food before the end of a season. These changes ripple up the food chain; if prey species die off, it means predators starve. Additionally, increasingly erratic weather patterns can mean sudden floods, droughts, and intense fires, which pose additional threats to direct survival as well as to food supplies and habitats.

The disruption of the ecosystem's stasis means a breakdown of all natural ecological functions, from producing clean air and water to supplying food — a danger that cannot be overstated.

What can be done to protect and preserve at-risk species?

When it comes to understanding the most dire threats of the warming planet, Jetz said further research is necessary. "A much better understanding and management of most likely climate change victims — those most ecologically and geographically tied down — is needed to fend off an impending extinction crisis," he said.

Just as importantly, though, preserving the planet's biodiversity will mean both protecting animals from threats as well as ensuring that those threats don't escalate. 

To that end, researchers are looking to engineer low-pollution solutions in a number of areas, from improving the efficiency of electric vehicle batteries to using liquefied carbon dioxide as fuel.

And governments, corporations, and consumers are all responsible for reducing their planet-warming emissions — whether it's through enforcing regulations, migrating to clean energy in homes and businesses, or disincentivizing the production of unsustainable goods and services.

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