From a University of Missouri media release:
Many birds feed on mosquitoes that spread the West Nile virus, a disease that killed 286 people in the United States in 2012 according to the Centers for Disease Control. Birds also eat insects that can be agricultural pests. However, rising temperatures threaten wild birds, including the Missouri-native Acadian flycatcher, by making snakes more active, according to University of Missouri biologist John Faaborg. He noted that farmers, public health officials and wildlife managers should be aware of complex indirect effects of climate change in addition to the more obvious influences of higher temperatures and irregular weather patterns.
“A warmer climate may be causing snakes to become more active and seek more baby birds for food,” said Faaborg, professor of biological sciences in MU’s College of Arts and Science. “Although our study used 20 years of data from Missouri, similar threats to bird populations may occur around the world. Increased snake predation on birds is an example of an indirect consequence that forecasts of the effects of climate change often do not take into account.”
I though they were telling us that only house cats eat birds. And that cats only eat birds.
I would like to see the evidence that someone has compiled over 20 years that correlates the rate at which snakes in Missouri eat baby birds with the average ambient temperature.
Heck, I would like to see the evidence that someone has compiled over 20 years that quantifies the rate at which snakes in Missouri eat baby birds!
Not to mention an increased activity of snake-eating predators…
It seems they’ve found a way to solve the wind energy cuisinart problem.
This isn’t even a study:
“A warmer climate may be ,,,”
May, may? What credible study comes to the conclusion “it may” may means the whole thing is garbage.
Throw it on the pile.
“A complete list of things caused by global warming” http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/warmlist.htm
You know what fits in a snakes stomach better than a baby bird? A baby snake.
Oh yeah? Weren’t we told that the temperature of the bygone days was optimal for everybody? Supposedly, that included snakes, too? They must be suffering from heat now. The more warming, the further away from maximum activity.
Fortunately we could expect an equivalent increase in the activity of insectivorous reptiles and amphibians.