As climate change intensifies extreme heat, farms are becoming less hospitable to nesting birds, a new study found. The study concluded that species of higher conservation concern in the U.S. — those closer to being listed as federally threatened or endangered — were more vulnerable to extreme heat events in agricultural settings. But across the board, birds in forests were 14% more likely to achieve reproductive success in times of extreme heat. However, Rosenberg cautioned that more data might be needed to confirm that species of higher conservation concern were more vulnerable, since the overwhelming majority of the data involved species of low conservation concern. The researchers predicted how different bird species might fare in each landscape during extreme heat events.

Source: The Nation October 19, 2023 18:36 UTC