DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Impacts of Global Climate Change on the Annual Cycle of Long-Distance Migratory Birds

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

Global climate change is causing spring to arrive earlier across much of the Northern Hemisphere, and particularly at the most northerly latitudes. This presents a significant problem to organisms such as migratory birds that breed at these northerly latitudes but spend much of the rest of the year in other regions. This study examines how two different populations of a long-distance migratory bird, the Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica), change the timing of their migrations and breeding seasons in response to a rapidly changing climate. Migration will be quantified by tracking individual birds, and nest success and chick survival will be measured at two separate breeding sites. Gaining a better understanding of how global climate change is affecting migratory birds is pivotal to the ability of scientists and land managers to plan for the conservation of these species under future climate change scenarios. The results of this research will facilitate this understanding through publication in scientific journals and through diverse social media to educate citizens living throughout the entire range of Hudsonian Godwits. The investigators plan to distribute a documentary film in both English and Spanish, and to mentor middle- and high-school students through video chats and on-line discussions. Undergraduate students and citizen scientists will be included in collection and analysis of field data.