Ocean Sentry
(From fijitimes.com) – Global warming will kill more birds, says the International Birdlife Program in Fiji.
He said changes in ocean currents (due to climate change) were likely to reduce the productivity of the world”s oceans meaning less food would be available for seabirds. Birdlife seabird program manager Steve Cranwell said the increased intensity of severe weather events and frequency of these as a result of global warming predictions would increase seabird mortality.
“These are likely to come about through increased ‘storm wrecks’ (birds brought down as a result of heavy rain/gale force winds and as a result of exhaustion drown at sea), and increased breeding mortality as nests and breeding colonies are washed out either through heavy rains or large sea storm surges,” said Mr Cranwell.
“Increases in poor body condition of adult birds will see more birds starve and equally breeding success will be impacted on with fewer birds being in a suitable condition to breed or more nesting attempts failing as adults are unable to find enough food to rear their young,” he said.
Mr Cranwell said climate change was a compounding problem as seabirds already faced numerous threats as a group comprising many of the world’s most threatened birds.
