RSPB warns birds are changing their behaviour due to climate change
The charity says conservation efforts are needed to slow rapid declines
The behaviour of birds across the UK is changing in response to climate change, according to warnings from the RSPB.
Upland birds and seabirds are experiencing significant declines in numbers, while some southern species are extending their reach northward due to rising temperatures.
Species such as Dotterel and Golden Plover are facing deteriorating conditions linked to changes in soil moisture levels.
Seabirds, including Puffin and Arctic Tern, are being affected by warming seas, decreased food availability, and increased vulnerability to storms.
The winter ranges of many Arctic-breeding birds are shifting north and eastward, which means birds such as Bewick’s Swan and Goldeneye are increasingly absent from the UK.
Katie-jo Luxton, the RSPB’s director of conservation said “Climate change is already reshaping the UK’s birdlife, and the warning signs are impossible to ignore.
"Without urgent conservation action, upland birds and seabirds will continue to face rapid declines, while species from the south push northward as temperatures rise.
“Nature is our life support system and these birds are on the front line of climatic changes that affect us all.
"We must strengthen protections now and give nature the space it needs to adapt to support future generations of birds and people."
Professor James Pearce-Higgins, British Trust for Ornithology’s Director of Science, said, “This year’s record-breaking May and June temperatures will have impacted our breeding birds.
"This report highlights how climate change will continue to affect the UK’s birds, both through extreme weather events and the harder-to-detect effects that cascade through complex ecological communities.”