How Climate Change Will Affect Birds in Missouri
Vulnerable Birds in Missouri
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.
Missouri
| Flyway | Mississippi Flyway |
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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.
How will the Prairie Warbler's range be affected in Missouri?
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 Missouri 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 Missouri at risk.
Missouri's Birds and Habitats
Along the Missouri River, the wetlands of the Manitou Floodplain provide habitat for migratory waders, waterfowl, and shorebirds. The rich woods of the Ozarks host forest species like Indigo Buntings and Prairie Warblers. Along the Mississippi River, Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge attracts thousands of Snow Geese and hundreds of Bald Eagles every winter, and Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge hosts over 200,000 geese and ducks at peak migration in October.
Climate Policy in Missouri
RENEWABLE
0.2 % Biomass
1.4 % Hydro
0.1 % Solar
NUCLEAR
FOSSIL FUEL
79.8 % Coal
0.1 % Petroleum
BY 2021
Climate Alliance?
(Data: U.S. EIA)
Several Missouri cities have taken strides toward clean energy, with St. Louis and Kansas City adopting climate plans and Rock Port becoming the first 100-percent wind-powered community in the nation.
Climate Threats Facing Birds and People in Missouri
More intense and frequent precipitation has increased flooding along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, threatening riverfront communities and causing billions of dollars in damages to property and infrastructure. Summer droughts also have reduced municipal and industrial water supplies. In the coming decades, Missouri will likely experience reduced corn yields and more extreme heat days that threaten vulnerable people, including children, the elderly, the sick, and the poor.
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.