Each map is a visual guide to where a particular bird species may find the climate conditions it needs to survive in the future. We call this the bird’s “climatic range.”
The colors indicate the season in which the bird may find suitable conditions— blue for winter, yellow for summer (breeding), and green for where they overlap (indicating their presence year-round).
The darker the shaded area, the more likely it is the bird species will find suitable climate conditions to survive there.
The outline of the approximate current range for each season remains fixed in each frame, allowing you to compare how the range will expand, contract, or shift in the future.
The first frame of the animation shows where the bird can find a suitable climate today (based on data from 2000). The next three frames predict where this bird’s suitable climate may shift in the future—one frame each for 2020, 2050, and 2080.
You can play or pause the animation with the orange button in the lower left, or select an individual frame to study by clicking on its year.
The future looks bleak for one of the continent's most imperiled bird species. Lesser Prairie-Chickens are already struggling to survive a combination of human-caused habitat destruction and prolonged drought (thought to be a taste of future climate). Audubon's climate model predicts that none of the species’ current range will host suitable climatic conditions by 2080. While grasslands are fast to respond to changes in climate, there’s not much left of the once-vast American prairies. It may prove necessary to provide corridors (and/or free rides from people) to new grassland patches if we want future generations to be able to enjoy this species' mesmerizing springtime dance routines.
Explore more birds threatened by climate change around the country.
It's easier than you think to make a difference. Become an Audubon member today to help birds facing climate change.
