How Climate Change Will Affect Birds in Indiana
Did you know that the Baltimore Oriole helps pollinate several tree species by transferring pollen from tree to tree as they eat nectar from their flowers? You can attract them to your backyard by offering them nectar, grape jelly, and orange halves.Isn't it interesting how birdwatching just sneaks up on us as we get older? We spend most of our lives not caring one bit about birds and then one day we're like, "Hey, Sally is that a Yellow-throated Warbler on the veranda?"
It’s Spring in Indiana and many of us are enjoying the sights and sounds as our backyards are once again filled with our feathered friends.
Here are some of the benefits of attracting birds to your backyard.
· Pest Control: Many birds eat a variety of insects, including aphids, mosquitoes, spiders, grubs, slugs, and other bugs that may not be welcome in a yard or garden.
· Flower Pollination: Hummingbirds, orioles, and other birds that sip nectar are efficient pollinators of garden flowers.
· Weed Control: Finches, towhees, and sparrows consume great quantities of weed seeds, making them effective landscapers to help control unwanted plants.
· Wildlife Conservation: As more habitats become threatened through development, attracting backyard birds provides a critical oasis for bird and wildlife conservation, both for local species and migrating birds. This helps preserve birds both in the yard and in the larger local environment.
· Stress Relief: Watching birds and listening to their songs can help relieve stress and promote well-being.
But climate change poses a risk to the birds in Indiana and elsewhere. Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns affect birds' ability to find food and reproduce. Some species may even go extinct if they cannot find the conditions they need to survive and raise their young.
In Indiana, the species that are most threatened by a combination of climate change and additional climate related threats include the Field Sparrow, Red-headed Woodpecker, Wood Thrush, Yellow-throated Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, and Northern Flicker. For more information on threats to individual species in Indiana, see the attached link from the Audubon Society. How Climate Change Will Affect Birds in Indiana
Studies have found that 27% of Indiana's 208 bird species are vulnerable to climate change across seasons. A rapidly changing climate could lead to population declines and local extinctions if species are not able to adapt.
What can we do?
· Show Your Community That Birds Matter: We can ask our local leaders what they are doing to protect wildlife in the face of climate change. We can share stories about our favorite climate-threatened birds with community groups, or consider leading a field trip to a local Important Bird Area (IBA) or park to connect people to species that need our help.
· Grow a Bird-Friendly Garden: Create a safe haven for birds in your yard or container garden by growing native plants, using fewer pesticides, and adding a bird bath. Native plants provide important food and shelter for birds and help them adapt to a changing climate.
· Stand for Solutions: To fight climate change, we need policies and technology that cut carbon pollution and increase renewable energy. Common-sense measures such as energy efficiency, renewable energy standards, and putting a price on carbon pollution can all help reduce emissions and limit the effects of global warming on birds.
Let’s do what we can to protect our birds so that future generations of Sallys can say, “Ya know what, Fred, I think that is a Yellow-throated Warbler.”
- Jeff Gabbard
For more information:
https://www.audubon.org/climate/survivalbydegrees/state/us/in
https://www.audubon.org/important-bird-areas
https://www.thespruce.com/benefits-of-attracting-birds-386399