Abstract

Birds are excellent indicator of alteration in the environment but global conservation programs on bird species diversity and richness are usually threatened by climate change. Climate change is the world’s indisputable environmental problem, currently affecting conservation programs in advance and developing countries concurrently. This paper aims to give detail summary, using hypothetical and investigated evidence documented in literature to identify and discuss the effects of climate variability on bird species and its implication on conservation of birds. Climate change is a function of activities of the populace resulting to alteration of the ecosystem. Some of the paramount effects of climate change on birds are; alteration in the duration of breeding seasons, alteration in migratory locations, alteration in niche structure, reduction in survival and breeding venture, shift in timing and duration of breeding, modification of long-term migration and breeding performance, modification of avian morphology, homelessness and scattering of migratory birds, forest-fire, pest and diseases outbreak. Birds may adjust to climate variability by escaping when the atmospheric temperature is till trivial, they may adapt to the local environment or die. The special effects of climate change on prospective wild population of bird species are; increase in competition on foraging sites because the choice made one bird is dependent on choice made by others in a specific habitat. Bird’s survival is dependent on its ability to forage very fast and dominate. Local carrying capacity of birds may be exceeded in isolated areas. Effects of climate variability on birds are complicated and species dependent. Understanding how individual species will respond to this global change in the ecosystem will enable avian managers to propose a better conservation measures. Continuous monitoring of birds in changing environmental conditions is necessary in order to understand how individual species will respond to diverse environmental variability.

Keywords

Climate change; birds; ecosystem; migration; breeding; adaptation