New research, led by Durham University's Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences in partnership with the RSPB and the United States Geological Survey, has shown that populations of the most common birds in Europe and the US are being altered by climate change.
Using climate records from 1980-2010, the researchers developed models that related each species' habitat to long-term climate patterns. The models could predict where a species had experienced an improvement or a decline in suitable climate. And the outlook is rather mixed; the species which are expected to benefit from climate change are actually doing so, and those expected cope poorly from climate change have done exactly that.
The research also shows that these trends can be seen across both Europe and the US, making it the first real demonstration that climate change is having a similar, large-scale influence on common birds in widely separated parts of the world.
For example, birds such as the wren have been increasing in northern areas as winters become milder, but have been declining in southern areas. Similarly, the American robin has declined in southern states but has thrived further north.
Dr Stephen Willis, who was lead researcher, said "This is really the first time anyone's ever looked at changes in climate across two really extensive parts of the world. So we're getting an idea that [the impacts of] climate change on wildlife are more far-reaching than individual countries"
David Noble from the British Trust for Ornithology and who was also involved in the research said, " The similarities in results between the two continents, despite very big differences in their landscapes, geographic barriers and patterns of vegetation, are compelling evidence for the climate change effects."
