Some North American bird species have not entirely changed their ranges in response to current climate change.
The habitats of these birds have gotten increasingly disconnected from their ideal climatic conditions, while other aspects of the ecosystem have become more restrictive.
This tendency of climate decoupling is especially evident for habitat specialists and decreasing species. These are the findings of research published in Nature Ecology & Evolution by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig University, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), and the Doana Biological Station.
Climate decoupling caused by continuing climate change may put additional strain on many bird species and accelerate population reductions.
Climate change has caused species to shift between the 'better' and 'worse' areas of their climatic niches, according to an analysis of long-term monitoring data for over 1,500 species in Finland. These impacts were most severe at higher latitudes