Climate Change Drives North American Birds Further Up The Continent, Study Suggests

January 18, 2008 12:47 a.m. EST

Auburn, AL (AHN) - North American birds are moving north and climate change is suspected of causing it, a 26-year study says.

Although birds in Great Britain made the same shift, more studies are needed to prove if climate change is the cause and determine its effect on birds.

Although the results of the study adds to value to researchers, it raises questions if the current migration is detrimental to other species, Hitch said.

"It is difficult to predict when or if the forces behind the distributional shifts of birds may lead to extinctions of local populations," the wildlife ecologist at Auburn University said.

Hitch said because of their mobility, birds a quicker to move in response to changes to their environment. However, the prey that rely on the birds might have problems adapting as quickly.