(Washington, D.C., August 8, 2014) Hurricanes Iselle, Julio, and Arthur are the first of what likely will be more powerful late summer and early fall severe storms that billions of birds may face as they wind up their breeding seasons and prepare for perilous migrations that can involve travelling thousands of miles to wintering grounds south of the U.S.
"While human safety is always the primary concern, with hurricanes, the impact such storms bring can be deadly for birds as well. Depending on circumstances, whole colonies of young birds may be wiped out - a whole breeding season gone. Parents tending young may stay with a nest and perish rather than abandon it for safer grounds. Nature can be brutal," says Dr. George Wallace, Vice President for the Oceans and Islands Division at American Bird Conservancy (ABC), one of the nation's leading bird conservation groups.
Wallace, who conducted his doctoral research on migratory and resident birds in the northern keys of Cuba, including during a period immediately following a major hurricane, says the question about how birds weather storms comes up every year around this time. "It is a complex question that has many variables, but the key bird mortality factors are timing, location, and strength of a storm. Normally, these factors do not all line up in a perfect storm scenario, so while some level of mortality takes place during almost all major storms, it usually does not occur on a massive scale," he said.
"Because Hawai
