Climate change: new bird species may arrive

CLIMATE CHANGE has the potential to bring 20 new breeding species of birds to Ireland, according to a new book.

Bird Habitats in Ireland is one of the most comprehensive attempts to date to document the location of the entire bird population in Ireland, ranging from cities to bogs, sea cliffs and wetlands. It features the work of 25 academics and 12 photographers and was launched yesterday at a symposium in the RDS on bird species in Ireland. The chapter on climate change warns that hotter, drier weather could be “very significant” for Ireland’s seabird populations off the southwest coast as their food sources move northwards to cooler oceans. Waterbirds and peatlands birds will also be affected by rising temperatures.