Survival by Degrees: 389 Bird Species on the Brink
Virginia Rail. Photo: Janet & Phil/Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

How Climate Change Will Affect Birds in Massachusetts

Vulnerable Birds in Massachusetts

Highly and moderately vulnerable birds may lose more than half of their current range—the geographic area where they live—as they are forced to search for suitable habitat and climate conditions elsewhere.

Massachusetts

Flyway Atlantic Flyway
State Brief Download [PDF]

Below, find out which of the birds that nest or spend the winter in your area are most vulnerable across their entire range. Some birds may lose range outside of your state, making the protection of their current habitat in your area even more important.

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How will the Virginia Rail's range be affected in Massachusetts?

Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns affect birds' ability to find food and reproduce, which over time impacts local populations, and ultimately continent-wide populations, too. Some species may even go extinct in your state if they cannot find the conditions they need to survive and raise their young.

Select a warming scenario to see how this species’ range will change under increased global temperatures.

Reducing warming makes many types of birds found in Massachusetts less vulnerable.

In order to hold warming steady, we must act now to reduce the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere and limit warming to 1.5 degrees. We must reduce our carbon emissions and also absorb what is produced through natural solutions like reforestation or with technology that removes carbon from the air.

Click the three different warming scenarios to explore how increased warming puts more species in Massachusetts at risk.

Massachusetts's Birds and Habitats

Massachusetts boasts a bird list of nearly 500 species. The coastal habitats of Plum Island, where Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is sited, attract elusive marsh birds, migrating shorebirds, beach-nesting terns and plovers, and wintering waterbirds, like Long-tailed Ducks and Red-throated Loons. Mass Audubon’s Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary hosts Bobolinks on grasslands and migrating shorebirds on wetlands. Inland, Quabbin Park and Reservoir protects tens of thousands of acres of forest, home to nesting warblers, Scarlet Tanagers, Veeries, and Ruffed Grouses.


Climate Policy in Massachusetts

Electricity Generation Breakdown
9.9%
RENEWABLE
.7 % Wind
3.6 % Biomass
3.2 % Hydro
2.4 % Solar
15.5%
NUCLEAR
72.1%
FOSSIL FUEL
67.8 % Natural Gas
3.5 % Coal
.8 % Petroleum
2.5%
OTHER
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Targets
25%
BELOW 1990
levels by 2020
80%
BELOW 1990
levels by 2050
Renewable Portfolio Standard
35%
BY 2030
Member of the US
Climate Alliance?
No

(Data: U.S. EIA)

Massachusetts runs its own state cap-and-trade program. In 2018 Massachusetts passed legislation to increase the state’s renewable energy goal and create a path for offshore wind development. Massachusetts is planning for the consequences of climate change through 2018 legislation that allocated over $2.4 billion for adaptation measures.

Massachusetts is a participant in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a cap-and-trade program in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic United States that aims to reduce carbon emissions from power plants.

Climate Threats Facing Birds and People in Massachusetts

Massachusetts temperatures have increased more than 2 degrees Fahrenheit in the last century and precipitation events have intensified. Sea levels in the state have risen up to eight inches since 1950 and could rise another six inches in the next 15 years, eroding beaches and wetlands and increasing damage from coastal storms. In the coming decades, Massachusetts will likely experience increased inland and tidal flooding, shifting ecosystem ranges, and disrupted fishing and farming.


The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk harm people, too. Hover over or tap an area on the map to see specific threats that will affect that area as warming increases.