Survey: mountain birds in "escalator to extinction"

Warmer temperatures push mountain birds higher and higher as they try to stay in their comfort zone. This is the conclusion of a group of scientists who retraced the steps of an expedition to the Peruvian Andes in 1985 and documented the evolution of birds over the last 30 years. The new study also shows that species that already lived at the top of the ridge now have smaller ranges and some have completely disappeared.

"Climate change is causing upstream changes and extirpations at the top of a mountain in a tropical bird community," by Cornell Lab of Ornithology and scientists at the University of British Columbia , was published October 25 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The researchers estimate that there is a high statistical probability of extinction of at least four species in the survey area, due to extensive field research and analysis of audio recordings by the team. Missing birds are the variable ant strike, the buff-eyed foliage gleaner, the pygmy hazel-faced bully, and the flat beak with fleshy chest. None of these species are considered threatened, but research supports the idea that birds living at higher altitudes move even further in response to climate change, which may result in local extinctions.

The director of the Lab of Ornithology, John Fitzpatrick, led the 1985 survey and co-authored the new report. Benjamin Freeman, Ph.D. '16, lead author and postdoctoral researcher at the University of British Columbia, led the re-reading of Cerro de Pantiacolla, a 4,640-foot chain located in southern Peru, covering the same using the same methods as those used in 1985.

"The species at the top of the mountain are running out of mountain," Freeman said. "The next step is extinction. According to Freeman, eight of the 16 mountainous species identified in the last survey are missing from our new survey. "Annual average temperatures in the region have increased by approximately 1 degree Fahrenheit since 1985, and more than two-thirds of the species studied in the research moved their range upstream of an average of 131 feet to survive." .

"This is the first field evidence showing that some local bird populations have been literally wiped out by moving up the slope," Fitzpatrick said. "We think this trend is probably repeating itself on the slopes of tropical mountains around the world."

Earth's average temperatures are expected to warm more than 3 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100. Tropical species are expected to move up from 1640 to 2953 feet.

The work in Peru follows a study that Freeman had done four years ago in New Guinea that revealed that 70% of the bird species on a mountain had moved their path upwards to try to keep pace with climate change. Freeman's research in Asia and South America shows that tropical mountain birds around the world are on the verge of extinction.

"The tropical mountains are home to thousands of bird species, more than any other terrestrial environment on Earth," said Freeman. "Minimizing the effects of climate change on these birds means preserving and restoring forest corridors for wildlife at all altitudes. Otherwise we will continue to lose mountain species at such a fast pace. "