Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
PLYMOUTH, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Bird species in Massachusetts have begun to look very different due to climate change in New England.
As winters warm up here in the northeast, certain southern bird populations have realized they can stick around in the area longer.
According to Mass Audubon educator Doug Lowry, some of the birds that have stuck around include red bellied woodpeckers, tufted titmice, cardinals and Carolina wrens, the last of which is the state bird for South Carolina.
"A lot of birds are increasing their range by moving north," Doug pointed out.
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On the flipside of this situation, some bird species have moved out due to the increasingly warmer climate, including the Massachusetts state bird, the black-capped chickadee.
"Their numbers are dwindling to the point where they might not even breed here in Massachusetts by the year 2050," said Lowry. "Black-capped chickadees like it to be cooler than it is now."
On top of the temperature change, the chickadees have found it difficult to compete for food in New England with all of the new bird species that have stuck around.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.
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