By Sol Moyano, The Invading Sea
North America’s bird populations have already suffered major declines in recent decades and are vulnerable to further losses in the years ahead due to climate change.
Warming temperatures are shifting bird habitats and affecting the time of year when birds migrate, according to a recent report from Climate Central, a nonprofit group of communicators and scientists who research climate-related issues.
Bird migration is typically strongest between mid-April and mid-May. But radar data shows a dramatic shift in migration timing in some regions, said Andrew Farnsworth, a scientist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
“The most striking example of this is in spring migration, where peak migration is shifting earlier and farther north,” Farnsworth said.
Shifting migration patterns are among the climate impacts affecting birds, with some of those changes already being seen in Florida. Sea-level rise is already flooding ground nests in the state, reducing feeding areas and accelerating beach erosion, said Brooke Bateman, senior director of climate and community science at the National Audubon Society.
“Florida stands at the epicenter of this crisis,” Bateman said. “The state is projected to experience some of the most severe impacts from sea-level rise and extreme rainfall, compounded by rapid urbanization and cropland expansion.”
These changes come as bird populations have already suffered substantial declines. The North American bird population has lost about 2.9 billion birds since 1970 due to habitat loss, climate change and other factors, according to research published in the journal Science.
Changes in their ranges could add to those losses. A National Audubon Society report found that nearly two-thirds of North American bird species are vulnerable to significant range loss if the planet warms 5.4 degrees F above pre-industrial temperatures.
“Climate vulnerability often leads to significant range loss, where shifting temperatures and precipitation patterns render current habitats unsuitable,” Bateman said.
Under 5.4 degrees of warming, some common birds may no longer occupy much of their current U.S. range. Climate Central reports that the red-headed woodpecker is one of the most vulnerable bird species, with 94% range loss. Same with the Canada goose, with 25% range loss.
Both species are seen in Florida, which Farnsworth said is a key arrival and departure point for many species. Florida’s bottomlands and wetlands are home to many migrant birds entering and departing the U.S., he said.
“Many wetland species and landbirds winter in Florida, and the changing climate is absolutely impacting these patterns,” he said. “This is especially true because of the combined impact of habitat loss, habitat change in Florida and changing hydrology.”
These changes can affect birds’ diets and nesting behavior. Birds have evolved over millions of years to eat specific foods, require certain nesting conditions and conserve their energy for their long journeys, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Many bird species consume nutrients like insects, meaning they must follow migration patterns to a place where the insect population is booming.
Farnsworth said he’s most concerned about birds that consume insects in flight, known as aerial insectivores. Florida’s aerial insectivores include purple martins, common nighthawks, swallows and flycatchers.
Warming temperatures affect these and other birds if they fail to adjust their migrations to a time when abundant insects are available to eat.
“This impacts the bottom line for birds’ productivity if they miss the window when massive numbers of certain insects emerge because the emergence occurred earlier than in past periods,” Farnsworth said.
Bateman said birds can serve as early warning signs of environmental change, acting as “canaries in the coal mine” and signaling risks that could eventually affect human communities as well.
“Many bird species in Florida and the Southeast are currently caught in a ‘double bind’ — they are forced to shift their ranges due to a warming climate while simultaneously facing localized threats that leave them with nowhere to go,” she said.
Sol Moyano is a senior majoring in multimedia journalism at Florida Atlantic University who reported for The Invading Sea during the spring 2026 semester. Banner photo: Canada geese in flight (iStock image).
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