Climate change nudges American birds northward

[UpInArms]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Climate change is pushing American birds northward, with some finches and chickadees moving hundreds of miles (km) into Canada, an Audubon Society study reported on Tuesday.

Drawing on citizen observations over a 40-year period, the society's scientists found that 58 percent of 305 widespread bird species found in the contiguous United States shifted significantly to the north.

While there are many factors that can make birds move, there's no question this is caused by human-spurred global warming, according to report co-author Greg Butcher.

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"This isn't something that's going to happen in the Arctic or the Antarctic and it isn't something that's going to happen way off in the future," he said. "It's something that has been occurring over 40 years and it is disrupting the lives of birds and it's going to disrupt the lives of people as well."

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE51981720090210?sp=true