The Heat is On: The Global Threat to Owls from Climate Change

As the global threat from climate change continues to increase almost unchecked, the negative impacts of climate change on biodiversity are also increasing, and this could result in the loss of numerous species, habitat fragmentation, and phenological change. Here, we look at the global impact climate change poses to one particular group of birds: Owls (Strigiformes). As apex predators inhabiting every continent and in almost every country of the world, with the exception of Antarctica and some small isolated islands, they are an ideal group to study in relation to negative impacts caused by extreme climatic events globally. Examining multiple published studies from around the world, we determine which species are most susceptible to be negatively impacted by one or multiple events caused by climate change: wildfires, unprecedented levels of precipitation and flooding, rising temperatures, drought, melting of ice and snow, storm events, and rising sea levels. The Tawny Owl Strix aluco offers one of the first evidences that recent climate change can alter natural selection in a wild population leading to a micro-evolutionary response, which demonstrates the ability of wild populations to evolve in response to climate change.