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November 26, 2006
Global Warming Causes Meltdown for Gray Jay
A 25-year study by scientists at Ohio State University, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society, has revealed that the Gray Jay is being negatively affected by global warming. The Gray Jay inhabits the boreal and sub-alpine forests of Canada and the northern United States. Jays breed so far north that young often hatch before spring thaws. To compensate, adult jays cache enormous amounts of food during the summer, so that food remains available to feed to their young throughout the year. This process relies on sub-zero temperatures, beginning in the fall, to freeze these stores and keep the food fresh through spring.
Gray Jay, Oregon, Mount Hood 24th April 2005 from the Surfbirds Galleries © Ian Boustead
Rising temperatures across North America have meant that this natural refrigeration is not being turned on until later in the year. Food is spoiling, shortages are ensuing, and breeding success is being reduced. According to the researchers, the species is in danger of extirpation from the southern part of its range in southern Canada, New England and the northern Rockies. Scientists predict that average global temperatures could rise by as much as 10oF over the next century, making the Gray Jay a likely bellweather of problems to come for birds and people. For information about the impact of climate change on birds, please see http://www.abcbirds.org/climatechange/ or contact Michael Fry, American Bird Conservancy, 202/234-7181 ext. 205, mfry@abcbirds.org
November 26, 2006
Penguin Population Plummets Due to Overfishing
Humboldt Penguins that breed along the desert coast of Peru and Chile are in trouble. Once numbering over 20 million birds, the species is now one-tenth its former size due to overfishing in the region. Listed as Vulnerable to Extinction on the IUCN Red List, Humboldt Penguins feed in nutrient-rich waters which abound with anchovy and other small fish. This very abundance has attracted commercial fishing fleets that are poorly regulated by the Chilean and Peruvian governments. As fish stocks dwindle, the penguins are failing to breed in ever greater numbers.
The Brookfield Zoo, together with the St. Louis Zoo and the Philadelphia Zoo, has a flourishing Humboldt captive-breeding program, and are helping to monitor the penguin population in the wild. The zoos are also helping pay for guards to prevent poaching of guano, birds, and eggs. They have also petitioned to have one of the main Peruvian breeding sites, Punta San Juan, designated as a Marine Reserve. For more information visit: http://www.brookfieldzoo.org/0.asp?nSection=10&PageID=194&nLinkID=283