Welcome to a special birding edition of the Science Times newsletter, which will land in your inbox every Friday through September. |
 | | An osprey rested on field lights in Bremerton, Wash., during wildfires in 2018.Larry Steagall/Kitsap Sun, via Associated Press |
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The Maui wildfires are an ongoing human tragedy. At least 111 people have died, more than 1,000 people are unaccounted for, and many have been displaced from their homes. |
"Birds are especially vulnerable, because they have an incredibly efficient respiratory system, which is designed to deliver enough oxygen to power flight," said Olivia Sanderfoot, an ecologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who studies how smoke affects birds and other wildlife. The avian respiratory system is especially adept at drawing oxygen out of the air, but if there are pollutants wafting around, birds take those up readily, too. |
Precisely how smoke affects birds is still a nascent field of research, with many unanswered questions. But studies have shown that smoke can damage birds' lungs and make them more vulnerable to respiratory infections. And the fine particulate matter that is present in smoke — and causes well-documented health problems in humans — can also accumulate in birds' airways. "We know that air pollution, and smoke specifically, causes respiratory distress and makes it more difficult for birds to breathe," Dr. Sanderfoot said. |
Plumes of smoke may also disrupt the journeys of migrating birds, many of which are under threat. In 2020, tule geese, which summer in Alaska, began their fall migrations in the middle of a record wildfire season on the West Coast. The geese needed more than double the usual time to arrive at their traditional Oregon stopover site, and their flight paths were nearly 500 miles longer, scientists found. |
 | | Smoke rose from Lahaina on the Hawaii island of Maui the morning after wildfires swept through.Richard Olsten/Air Maui Helicopters, via Reuters |
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"We're beginning to see that birds have to make hard choices when they come across thick smoke," said Andrew Stillman, an ecologist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology who studies how major fires affect birds. |
Birds can sit and wait for the smoke to clear, which can leave them stranded for days in unfamiliar territory and delay their migration. They can fly around the smoke, making detours that extend their journeys and use up precious energy reserves. Or they can continue to fly through, gulping down smoke as they go. "Either way, the migrating birds are worse off when they finally arrive," Dr. Stillman said. "And not everybody survives that perilous journey." |
Dr. Sanderfoot is exploring how smoke alters bird behavior and how those responses vary according to species and circumstance. (Some birds of prey seem to be attracted to fires, perhaps because fleeing or injured small animals make for an easy dinner.) Which species are most vulnerable to wildfires? Do birds with larger home ranges find escape easier than do those with smaller territories? Do birds that live in fire-prone areas respond differently than those inhabiting places where wildfires are a newer threat? Do responses vary at different times of year? |
"And all of this work is geared toward answering questions that I hear over and over from birders in our community," Dr. Sanderfoot said. "Folks want to know what's happening to birds when it's smoky." |
She is also enlisting amateur bird watchers to help her answer these questions. One new effort, called Project Phoenix, is now seeking California residents who are willing to spend 10 minutes a week observing their local birds through the fire season. Dr. Sanderfoot hopes to learn how birds alter their habitat use in response to smoke, and whether providing bird feeders and baths "could help them thrive as smoke persists on the landscape," she said. "I'm hoping to put that all together and really help us learn, from a policy standpoint, what we can do to help birds as we see more and more smoke." |
Reader comments: Diversity inside Audubon |
Readers responded to The Times's story about the battle within the Audubon Society over James Audubon's ties to slavery. The organization is among many caught between a desire to appeal to a younger, more diverse generation and concerns that some changes the group was considering went too far. |
It's quite fascinating to me, as an older white male who donates to conservation organizations, that so many commenters are appalled at the idea of changing the name and want to focus on the important work that Audubon does rather than consider a name change. Why can't Audubon continue its important work and change its name at the same time? |
No social justice is being served by changing the name of the Audubon Society. Audubon created the ornithological movement in this country nearly single-handedly. His name is synonymous with it and his name now transcends him as a person. And the reason his name is on the society is for his scientific and artistic contributions to birding. |
Wouldn't Avian Society be a more descriptive name, especially for newcomers and younger joiners? Eventually, the name Audubon would fade from memory. |
— R. Thomas Berner, Bellefonte, Pa. |
 | | "Why would you not take the step of being brave and moving forward?" Jason Hall, a birder in Pennsylvania, said.Kriston Jae Bethel for The New York Times |
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