Climate Change Driving Mass Bird Deaths in the Amazon

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A recent #study has revealed that even in the most isolated parts of the #Amazon, bird #populations are collapsing due to #climatechange. Research published in Science Advances found that a 1°C increase in temperature led to a 63% drop in bird survivability, proving that climate change is pushing avian species towards #extinction. Avoiding deforestation-linked products like #palmoil and #meat is crucial in the fight for their survival. As is calling out corporate greenwashing, be #Vegan and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

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Rare Bird Populations Suffer from Heat Stress Leading to Gradual Decline

A team of environmental scientists from the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Michigan Technological University, and the University of Oregon examined decades of bird population data from Brazil’s Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project. They found that bird numbers have steadily declined, with some species even disappearing entirely.

For years, researchers were unsure why birds were vanishing from pristine environments untouched by human development. This study provides clear evidence that climate change is making forests uninhabitable, even for species that have survived in stable, humid ecosystems for millennia.

Heat stress and climate instability

The study found that rising temperatures are disrupting forest ecosystems, creating longer dry seasons, shifting plant and animal populations, and removing essential food sources.

Bird species rely on stable seasonal cycles to build nests, lay eggs, and forage for food for their young. However, as global temperatures rise, their food sources peak too early or disappear entirely. Many chicks are now hatching into a world where food no longer exists, leading to mass starvation and long-term population collapse.

Global implications

While this study focused on the Amazon, its findings have global implications. Bird populations in rainforests worldwide are experiencing similar declines due to climate instability, habitat destruction, and resource depletion.

Read more: Climate change aggravates bird mortality in pristine tropical forests, Science Advances, Jared D. Wolfe et al. (2025). DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adq8086

Wolfe, J. D., et al. (2025). Climate change aggravates bird mortality in pristine tropical forests. Science Advances, 11, eadq8086. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adq8086

ENDS

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