“Birds are like winged sentinels, signaling our planet’s future. They are disappearing at a phenomenal rate, all across the world.”

The migratory journey is a dangerous and difficult and songbirds need good quality stop over and refueling sites along the way.  But climate change is affecting many of the diverse habitats migratory birds depend on. Çağan  Şekercioğlu is concerned that climate induced change increases the chance that migrants will be negatively affected at some stage of the annual cycle. If changes also compromise breeding, overwintering and stop over habitats, the total effect could be catastrophic. By the end of this century, 25 percent of all bird species may be extinct. “Many pressures that will ultimately affect other animals, and even people, are happening to birds first. They are, quite literally, the canaries in the coal mine.”   Born in Istanbul, Dr. Çağan Şekercioğlu is an ecologist and ornithologist. He received his Ph.D. from Stanford University and is currently a professor of conservation ecology and ornithology at the University of Utah.

Connect with Dr. Cagan Hakki Sekercioglu

Website – Winged Sentinels Twitter — @Sekercioglu YouTube — CaganTV