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Climate Cast ®
Paul Huttner and Matt Alvarez

Warmer winters add challenges for migrating birds

Releasing a warbler
The breeding grounds for the majority of the world's Golden-winged Warblers are found in northern Minnesota, southern Manitoba and portions of Wisconsin. The small songbird begins its migration in early fall to winter in southern Central America and northern South America.
Ann Arbor Miller | MPR Photo

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Seasonal migration is underway, and Minnesota's landscape is playing an important role in guiding birds down south.

But milder winters across the state can impact the migration process, as well as disrupt food availability and breeding opportunities.

“This [is] what we call migratory connectivity,” said Lynn Schofield, a biology instructor and staff biologist at St. Olaf College, “which is to connect all the dots between where the birds are spending their summers, where are they spending their winters and all of the places that they need to go between their summer and winter habitat.”

MPR News meteorologist Paul Huttner talked with Schofield about warmer winters in Minnesota and how it’s disrupting summer and winter habitats.

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