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.
This well-named species is found only in coastal saltmarsh, where it is resident (non-migratory). While Audubon's climate model predicts that only 29 percent of the current summer range is stable, the species may add potential summer range further north. Winter is a different story, as the is projected to be largely absent from the Gulf Coast by 2080, with an overall decrease of 57 percent. The species’ complete dependence on saltmarsh means that it will be heavily impacted by any rise in sea level. If the salt marsh can spread slowly “inland,” the Seaside Sparrow may be able to adapt.
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.
