Harold Eyster (IMAGE)
Caption
Harold Eyster is a climate scientist for the Nature Conservancy and lead author of the study. During his post doc at UVM's Gund Insitute for Environment, Eyster analyzed datasets of breeding bird species surveyed in the Vancouver, Canada metro area from 1997 to 2020 and land cover change to test the validity of space-for-time methods. His team found total bird populations declined 26 percent, with the biggest reductions—up to 80 and 90 percent—in house sparrows, barn swallows, and starlings. Land cover changes only accounted for part of population shifts, suggesting some ecological models may be overvaluing the strength of habitat-bird relationships.
Credit
Image courtesy of Harold Eyster
Usage Restrictions
Image to be used for stories about this research only.
License
Original content