‘Sad and distressing’: massive numbers of bird deaths in Australian heatwaves reveal a profound loss is looming

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 23:34:19 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/sad-and-distressing-massive-numbers-of-bird-deaths-in-australian-heatwaves-reveal-a-profound-loss-is-looming-190685>

"This article contains images that some readers may find upsetting.

Heatwaves linked to climate change have already led to mass deaths of birds and
other wildlife around the world. To stem the loss of biodiversity as the
climate warms, we need to better understand how birds respond.

Our new study set out to fill this knowledge gap by examining Australian birds.
Alarmingly, we found birds at our study sites died at a rate three times
greater during a very hot summer compared to a mild summer.

And the news gets worse. Under a pessimistic emissions scenario, just 11% of
birds at the sites would survive.

The findings have profound implications for our bird life in a warming world –
and underscore the urgent need to both reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and
help animals find cool places to shelter."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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