Climate Change and Its Impacts on Migratory Birds: A Global Review

Abstract

Climate change has emerged as one of the most significant threats to global biodiversity, with migratory birds representing a particularly vulnerable group. Rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, habitat loss, and shifting phenological cycles are reshaping the migratory behaviour, breeding success, and survival rates of avian populations. This review synthesizes recent research on the impacts of climate change on migratory birds across different flyways and ecosystems. It highlights changes in migration timing, distributional shifts, population declines, and ecological mismatches between birds and their habitats or food resources. Furthermore, conservation challenges and adaptive management strategies, including protected area networks, international agreements, and habitat restoration, are discussed. The findings emphasize the urgent need for global cooperation and evidence-based conservation policies to safeguard migratory birds in the Anthropocene.