Right now, 389 birds including the Allen’s Hummingbird are heading toward the brink of extinction if we don’t slow climate change.
The Allen’s Hummingbird is facing a host of threats due to climate change, and if these challenges are not addressed swiftly, they could lead to the extinction of this species and hundreds of others. Intense wildfires are incinerating their habitat, and with repeated burns year after year there is no time for these lands to recover. Spring heat waves are threatening baby birds in their nests and increased urbanization into their native habitats are demolishing the areas they call home.
Audubon is advocating for the large-scale change necessary to alter the course of climate change and habitat loss, leading to healthier populations for species like the Allen’s Hummingbird and many others.
If we can stabilize carbon emissions and keep warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, and not the most extreme outlook scientists fear, three quarters of species would be better off, and nearly 150 species of our most at-risk birds would no longer be vulnerable to extinction from climate change.
389 Species Are On the Brink
Two-thirds of North American birds are at increasing risk of extinction from global temperature rise.
According to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, Allen’s Hummingbird populations declined by 80% between 1968 and 2019.
Allen’s Hummingbirds could lose 64% of their range in a 3 degree warming scenario.
That’s why this moment is so critical. Our planet is only getting warmer and the longer we let that happen without intervention the harder it will be to stop.