Yellow Rail
Saskatchewan Birds
Ryan J. Bradshaw
Yellow Rail,
Spruce Grouse,
Bufflehead,
Horned Grebe,
Thick-billed Longspur,
Boreal Chickadee,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Western Wood-Pewee,
Northern Shrike,
Owls - like Great Gray
and Snowy,
Sparrows - like Baird’s
and American Tree,
Warblers - like Wilson’s
and Black-throated Green,
Franklin’s Gull
Brown Thrasher,
Evening Grosbeak;
all losing their homes
to impacts of heat.
The first bird in this list poem, the Yellow Rail, is a rarely-seen marsh bird that is known for its distinctive call, a sequence of clicking sounds that one can hear at night.
According to Audubon’s Survival by Degrees study, the Yellow Rail is estimated to lose 56% of its current summer range in the not-too-distant future as average global temperatures rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Climate experts believe we will reach 1.5°C as soon as the early 2030s. If we allow global heating to progress at this rate, the Yellow Rail could lose 72% of its current summer range as soon as 2050 (2°C), and 96% as soon as 2080 (3°C). Projections suggest this species could gain 17%-18% in new areas, but displaced birds may face new challenges and have varying degrees of success in nesting and rearing young.
Want to help? Visit the United Nations website for a list of actions that you can take!
Photograph courtesy of Nick Saunders
This project is supported by SK Arts
