Summary:

Desert raptors get most of their water from eating prey animals. Biologist Blair Wolf explains, “if you think of any insect or a mouse or something like that, they’re maybe 75% water.” Those animals become less plentiful in a hotter, drier climate. Extreme warming poses a direct danger to the raptors (such as this Harris’s Hawk) and leads to lower rates of reproduction. Lacking sufficient water, they may not be able to produce eggs, and there must be enough food for their nestlings to thrive.

Full Episode:
Listen Daily:

BirdNote is sponsored locally by Chirp Nature Center and airs live everyday at 4 p.m. on KBHR 93.3 FM. See more BirdNote stories.

(Content courtesy of birdnote.org.)