Canaries outside the coal mine: Are Connecticut’s birds being affected by smoke from Canada’s wildfires?

July 2, 2023 (update of a June post by Tom Anderson, CAS Director of Communications)

How is the smoke from the Canadian wildfires affecting birds? In 2020, a team of researchers at the University of Washington was concerned about the effect of smoke from wildfires on birds. A review of the scientific literature, published in IOPScience, found that very little work had been done on the topic. One of the researchers, Kaeli Swift, Ph.D., wrote a blog post titled, “How Smoke Affects Wildlife.”  It states, “It’s clear that smoke isn’t good for animals, resulting in anything from carbon monoxide poisoning, to respiratory tissue damage, higher blood acid levels, stunted growth, compromised immune systems, and even death.” Read more.