How smoky air is affecting birds in Minnesota

What did it mean for birds when Minnesota made history one June day, with the worst air quality ever recorded in the state?

We humans could stay indoors or wear masks outdoors to deal with the smoke blowing in from Canadian wildfires. But what could wildlife do to stay healthy in air that was said to be the equivalent of smoking 10 cigarettes that day?

Several readers sent in their own questions about the impact on birds, one even describing a male cardinal exhibiting very un-cardinal-like behavior, sitting still on a garden post for 5 minutes or more the day after smoke blanketed the state.

The question of the effects of wildfire smoke on birds was posed to the Raptor Center (on the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota) and the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (in Roseville), two world-class facilities that treat sick and injured birds.

The Raptor Center didn't see an increase in birds of prey being admitted as a result of June 13's highly polluted air. But, as Executive Director Victoria Hall noted, "We would most likely see the impact of air pollution in combination with other health conditions in the days ahead."

And the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center makes a similar report: The hospital for wildlife admitted no birds exhibiting signs of smoke inhalation and saw no signs of respiratory distress in the birds in the center's outdoor caging.

So, birds weren't dropping out of the skies over the metro area, but no one knows what will happen in the weeks ahead, especially for birds already fighting off illnesses or injuries. A quick survey of research on this topic turned up little in the way of wildfire smoke's effects on wildlife, and what there is focuses primarily on mammals.

What is known is that birds have a very different respiratory system from that of mammals. Combine their system of lungs and air sacs with their small size and rapid metabolism, and it's likely that birds are more sensitive to smoke and other pollution than mammals are.

Here's how Laura Erickson, noted bird author and radio show host, put it:

"I don't think anyone has ever done a study comparing nestling survival as air quality drops, but maybe in few decades we'll know if nest failures are correlated with smoky periods like this. The reason miners brought canaries down with them [in the mines] was because birds have an extremely rapid metabolism and react much more quickly to toxins than we humans do, so a dead canary warned miners to get out fast."

Olivia Sanderfoot, a researcher and postdoctoral scholar at the University of California at Los Angeles, is focusing on how air pollution affects birds. Smoke can cause lung tissue damage and leave birds exposed to possibly deadly respiratory infections, she says.

The smallest birds with the highest metabolic rates — and yes, that includes hummingbirds — show the greatest effects from polluted air.

Some argue that birds have had to deal with wildfires and their smoke for millennia, but things are different now, in this era of mega fires that burn over vast areas and release masses of pollutants over lengthy periods. Climate change figures prominently here, for example, in prolonged droughts that create tinderbox situations in forests.

What lies ahead for birds (and other wildlife) as both the number of wildfires and their size increase? At the very least, researchers will have plenty of opportunities to study the effects on small, quick, vital species who live their lives in the outdoors.

St. Paul resident Val Cunningham, who volunteers with the St. Paul Audubon Society and writes about nature for a number of newspapers and magazines, can be reached at valwrites@comcast.net.

A helping hand

When smoke and other pollution fills the skies, birds are exposed to it 24/7. About all we humans can do is provide well-filled feeders and clean birdbaths to support them. If you do encounter a lethargic bird or one that is struggling to breathe, please contact one of the local rehabilitation centers.

• For a raptor, contact the Raptor Center, 612-624-4745.

• For any other kind of bird, contact the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, 651-486-9453.

Please consider making a donation to these valuable organizations, as well.

For the long term, consider joining and/or donating to an organization working on wildlife conservation, especially the Audubon Society, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology or the American Bird Conservancy.