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 handsome Red-throated Loon breeds on Arctic tundra and winters on large bodies of water (mostly at sea). Audubon's climate model projects significant shifts during both seasons, but of particular concern is that only just over one-third of the current summer climate space will remain stable by 2080. The small amount of potential new summer space in the high arctic is likely already being used by the species, so this species may experience more pressure than currently projected. Available winter area is projected to increase significantly; in particular, the model projects a large increase in winter suitability for the Great Lakes, which will presumably remain increasingly ice-free as the planet warms.
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.
