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this poses a threat to the survival of these shorebirds. The study
also found no evidence that the birds have tried to escape flood-
ing by increasing the height of their nests, even among birds that
lost nests during a flood. This may be due to the presence of
predators or unsuitable nesting vegetation. Whatever the reason,
it further emphasizes that Eurasian oystercatchers are in danger
of becoming extinct.
Research has also shown that populations of coastal marsh
birds along the East Coast of the United States are in sharp de-
cline. One of these is the saltmarsh sparrow, an orange-faced
bird that lives in the salt marshes of the Atlantic and upper Gulf
Coasts. According to Bailey, these members of the sparrow fam-
ily are struggling to survive because of rising sea levels and in-
creasing flooding. He believes they could be driven to extinction
within the next twenty years. “Like the Eurasian oystercatcher,
this species does not appear to be adapting to the changing tidal
conditions,” says Bailey. A similar study of coastal birds in Europe
showed strong declines in populations there as well. “Our work,”
says Bailey, “is part of a growing amount of research that shows
the vulnerability of coastal bird species. These species may need
additional conservation focus in the future.”
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A World Without Bees?
Scientists have made similarly bleak discoveries about the ability of
bees to survive in a warming world. Bee populations have already
plummeted due to habitat loss, widespread use of pesticides in
farming, and other factors. Climate change creates even more
problems for bees. They cannot survive extreme temperatures,
and prolonged heat waves can dry up their food sources. As a
result of stressors that affect bees, compounded by a warming
climate, bee populations have been declining by as much as 30
percent per year. Environmental groups that study bees say that
there were twice as many honeybee colonies in 1959 as there are
today. And honeybees are not the only bees that are threatened.
According to a 2015 study of bumblebees by researchers
from Canada, as temperatures steadily rise, massive numbers of
bees are being killed off. But the researchers found that unlike
