DefinePK

Abstract

The paper discusses how the migration patterns of birds in Pakistan have changed especially in the migration time, migration routes and species distribution as a result of the climate change. The paper juxtaposes information about the observations of birds, the climate variables (temperature and precipitation), and the habitat shift in the recent decades through the combination of descriptive and inferential statistics, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and predictive models. The results show that the period of migration has changed drastically and a large number of the species are migrating earlier in spring and later in the fall; this has been attributed to the increase in the temperature and changes in rainfall. Moreover, the migratory pathways and the stopover places are also observed especially the species that rely on the wetlands which are being washed away by the climatic change. The alterations in the migration of birds are linked with the disappearance of the habitat and the alteration of the species composition, which highlights the importance of the need to take certain conservation steps. The paper has ended by providing the recommendations of what can be done to save the habitats, climbatic adaptation and a continuous monitoring of the climatic change effects on the migratory birds in Pakistan.