Audubon report on birds & climate change
By Ilana DeBare
As wildlife lovers, as Bay Area residents, as supporters of Golden Gate Bird Alliance, we already know that climate change means trouble for birds.
But as of this week, we suddenly know a lot more about how bad that trouble will be — and which species will be at greatest peril.
National Audubon Society just released a report on North American birds and climate change that reaches the mind-boggling conclusion that nearly HALF the bird species of North America are at risk.
Of 588 species included in the study, 314 face a severe threat to their survival. Of those, 126 species are at risk of severe population declines by 2050, and another 188 species face the same by 2080 if climate change continues on its current path.
The list of Bay Area birds facing climate trouble includes some species like Snowy Plovers and Least Terns that are already on endangered/threatened lists for reasons such as habitat loss.
But it also includes many local species that seem common — even plentiful — today, such as American Avocets, Allen’s Hummingbirds, and Common Loons.

Bay Area species at greatest risk
Among the Bay Area species we know and love that are at most serious risk due to climate change are:
- Shorebirds. This includes local nesting species such as Black Oystercatchers and American Avocets, along with wintering species such as Marbled Godwits, Long-Billed Curlews, Short-Billed Dowitchers, and even the familiar Willet of our San Francisco Bay shoreline.
- Pelicans. Both Brown and American White Pelican populations are imperiled by climate change.
- Waterfowl. Familiar wintering ducks at risk include Barrow’s Goldeneye, Greater Scaup, Cinnamon Teal, American Wigeon, and even — amazingly — the ubiquitous Mallard, which could see its summer breeding territory shift far north.
- Grebes. Four of the five grebes that winter in our immediate area are at risk: Clarks and Western Grebes, as well as Eared and Horned Grebes.
- Raptors & Owls: American Kestrels, Golden and Bald Eagles, Swainson’s Hawks, Northern Harriers, Short-Eared Owls, and Burrowing Owls are among the raptors at risk.
- Gulls. Our ubiquitous California and Western Gulls face trouble, as do Ring-billed Gulls.
- Passerines and hummingbirds. Our Rufous and Allen’s Hummingbirds are at serious risk, along with Vaux’s Swifts, Brown Creepers, and Pygmy Nuthatches.
And that’s just naming a few.

“The greatest threat our birds face today is global warming,” said Audubon Chief Scientist Gary Langham, who will be the guest speaker at our monthly Speaker Series on Thursday September 18 in San Francisco.…