Range shifts of overwintering birds depend on habitat type, snow conditions and habitat specialization.

ABSTRACT: Climatic warming is forcing species to shift their ranges poleward, which has been demonstrated for many taxa globally. Yet, the influence of habitat types on within- and among-species variations of distribution shifts has rarely been studied, especially during the non-breeding season. Here, we investigated habitat-specific shift distances of northern range margins and directions of the distribution center based on long-term data of overwintering birds in Finland. Specifically, we explored influences of habitat type, species' snow depth tolerance, species' climatic niche and habitat specialization on range shifts during the past 40 years in 81 bird species. Birds overwintering in arable land shifted more clearly toward north compared to birds of the same species in rural and forest habitat

SUBMITTER: Bosco L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9309152 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature