Compound climate extreme events threaten migratory birds’ conservation in western U.S.

In a warming world, more intense and frequent compound climate extreme events pose serious challenges to biodiversity and conservation on Earth as one of the 2030 United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs): “Life On Land” (SDG 15). In summer 2020, concurrent swelling wildfires and a sudden cold snap in the western U.S. killed a massive number of migratory birds. In August 2020, the hot and humid weather in response to the wildfire radiation and the oceanic evaporation could result in killing heat stress for migratory birds along the coastal shoreline, particularly in California. The heat and smoke of wildfires forced the migratory birds to abandon such feeding grounds towards inla…