This week the federal government released its 2010 report, "The State of the Birds," examining the health of the United States' native fowl. According to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, the state of our union's birds is precarious. The 2010 report focused on climate in particular.
You can see the methods for scoring here. Birds that rely on coastal areas are in the most threatened position, Salazar says.
In it, scientists reviewed data for 800 species nationwide, and ranked their sensitivity to climate change based on factors including how many young they produce each year, how able they are to move to new habitats, and how unique their food and nesting needs are [San Jose Mercury News]
. Each of the 800 then received a designation of low, medium, or high vulnerability.
Seabirds tend to have low reproductive potential and often nest on islands that can be inundated by rising sea ...
