As the climate changes, the bird species we see in our national parks will also likely change. A new analysis by the National Park Service and the National Audubon Society suggests that --on average --one-quarter of bird species found in a given national park could be completely different by 2050. The results of this work underscore the importance of the National Park System for the long-term protection of birds in a changing world.

In each park, many current species of birds will likely continue to find suitable climate through mid-century. However, a park's climate may worsen or improve relative to their needs. For some birds, climate may become newly suitable in a park--allowing a species to potentially colonize a place it isn't currently found. For others, suitable climate may cease to occur in the future; in this case, the species may either adapt to the new climate or follow suitable climate elsewhere, thus becoming potentially extirpated from the park.

Visit the NPS project page to read the published article and download project briefs specific to your national park. Data visualizations for many NPS units can also be found on the National Audubon Society project page. 

2018 Carolinas Climate Resilience Conference

September 17-19, 2018 | Columbia, SC

Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit

October 24-25 | Miami, FL