A black and white warbler, one of 40 bird species that was less likely to be observed in New York State when air quality decreased due to Canadian wildfires according to University at Buffalo research. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain
Despite burning hundreds of miles away, Canadian wildfires have become a familiar source of disruption in New York state.
Air quality advisories. A spike in emergency room visits for asthma.
Now, a University at Buffalo study has identified another consequence: fewer sightings of dozens of bird species across the Empire State.
In a study published earlier this month in Biodiversity and Conservation, researchers found that 40 different bird species were less likely to be observed in New York as levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air increased during recent breeding seasons. The analysis included the 2023 season that overlapped with Canada's worst wildfire season on record.
