As Indian Summer Breaks Temperature Records, Birds Feel The Heat

Extreme heat affects all aspects of life in India and year after year, it is causing more birds to drop from the sky owing to sunstroke-related symptoms. Bird rescue organisations have reported an increased number of heat-related calls this summer and while some birds survive after hydration therapy, some do not.

As summer ends, IndiaSpend spoke to rescue organisations in different parts of the country to piece together how extreme heat is becoming particularly cruel for birds.

Overall, more than 40,000 people showed heat stroke symptoms this summer, and India reported over 100 heat-related deaths. Some of these deaths were those of personnel on election duty during the general election. But deaths due to extreme heat have always been underreported in our country.

The 15th Finance Commission recently denied the request to expand the scope of disasters eligible for financial assistance and hence, extreme heat will continue not to be considered a natural disaster or calamity eligible for assistance. Even the Supreme Court had ruled that people had a fundamental right to be free from adverse impacts of climate change, and that this right flowed naturally from the right to life and the right to equality.

IndiaSpend reached out to the district administrations of Jaipur, Mumbai and Delhi with queries on whether they have included the impact of extreme heat on birds in their heat/climate action plans, whether they have any records of the number of birds affected by extreme heat every year, what measures they are taking to address the issue and to increase awareness among people to help birds in distress. This story will be updated when we receive a response.

Birds on a warming planet

The world has a rich diversity of around 10,906 bird species of which, around 1,353 are found in India. A study by the Zoological Survey of India had shown that of these, 78 bird species are found in India alone.

Over the years, researchers and experts have studied the challenges before India’s biodiversity. The State of India’s Birds 2023 report warns that 60% of 348 bird species that could be assessed for long-term trends show long-term declines, and 40% of 359 species assessed for current annual trend are declining currently.

Among the larger threats to birds are land-use change, urbanisation, ecosystem degradation, monocultures, disease, infrastructure development, pet trade, hunting, pollution, and climate change.

The State of India’s Birds 2023 report explains how climate change is affecting bird populations. Phenological mismatches occur when the timings of annual events (for example, migration, nesting, insect emergence) become asynchronous. Sedentary birds will need rapid adaptive changes. The report cites the example of Amazonian birds observed over a 50-year period, where “all species showed decreases in mean body mass”. This is consistent with the expectation that smaller individuals, because they can lose heat more effectively, would be evolutionarily selected by warmer conditions.

Also, higher temperatures make birds more likely to seek shade and spend less time foraging, “with negative impacts on survival and reproduction”. Some bird species are also shifting their ranges to higher latitudes (i.e. away from the tropics and towards the poles) and in mountains, to higher elevations.

Sunstroke, dehydration cases increase

The impact of extreme heat has been seen and felt on the ground for a long time now.

Wildlife SOS, a non-profit organisation working in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation in India, reported an increased number of calls about birds affected by extreme heat this summer. In June 2024, the organisation received 35-40 rescue calls daily in Delhi-National Capital Region, higher than in April and May. Until June, the organisation had rescued over 220 birds suffering from heat, including species such as black kites, sparrows, blue-rock pigeons, barn owls, and peacocks.

“The recent heat waves have had severe impacts on the avian population in India,” said Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO, Wildlife SOS. “Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can lead to dehydration, as birds struggle to find adequate water, impairing their bodily functions and potentially leading to severe health issues or even death. Heat stroke is a significant risk, with symptoms such as laboured breathing, drooling, lethargy and hyperthermia, which can cause organ failure and be fatal if not treated promptly.”

On receiving a call about a bird in distress, most organisations guide the caller on immediate steps to be taken to stabilise the bird. Based on the bird’s situation, an ambulance might be sent and the bird moved to a facility.

“We ask the caller to secure the bird, to take it to a place where there is shade and away from predators like cats, dogs or other birds because the bird is already in a comatose state,” said Bandhanpreet Kaur, manager of veterinary services at PETA India. “Then we ask them to either pour cold water over its body or wrap the bird in a cold towel/any moist cloth…to reduce their body temperature immediately. And if electrolyte is available, we ask them to use a syringe or damp cloth to put a few drops in the bird’s mouth.”

PETA India handled 90 cases of birds affected by extreme heat this year.

Extreme heat also affects birds in the long term. In Parus major, a small, common bird found in many countries, high temperatures would affect behavioral responses to calls. Such an effect of temperature on response to vital indicators such as antipredator signals could impact survival, a 2023 research paper showed.

High air temperatures also cause cognitive and motor performance decline in birds.

Raksha, an organisation based in Jaipur, got seven to eight bird rescue calls every day this summer.

“This number has gradually grown; specifically, if I compare from 2018, it has grown from three calls a day to eight calls a day,” said Manan Tholia, president of Raksha.

And it is not just small birds that get hit by the rise in temperatures. Larger birds or birds of prey have also been affected.

Wildlife Rescue, a Delhi-based organisation which works with birds of prey, has a rehabilitation centre to rescue, treat and rehabilitate them back into the wild. Other rescue organisations or veterinary hospitals in Delhi refer cases of raptors in distress to them. This year, heatwaves affected these large birds severely, especially because summer is also the breeding season for these birds.

“Our 90% cases are of black kites… it’s their breeding season,” said Mohammad Saud of Wildlife Rescue. “In Delhi, during the months of May and June, the air is dry, lacks moisture and the temperature is very high. During the breeding season, when the baby birds come out of their nest, they might get dehydrated quickly. Once their hydration level is better, they fly back. But in cases where such birds are not rescued, it is possible that dehydration might even lead to their death.”

In May and June, WR typically gets around 600-700 cases, but this year they received around 1,200 cases.

As Saud said, survival of birds affected by heat stroke is not guaranteed.

“Some birds that are brought to us due to severe heat stroke don’t survive,” said Manta Sidhu from People For Animals. “Despite following all the treatment protocols, a lot of them end up with burst blood vessels in their brains or noses, leading to bleeding from the mouth or nose… those are extremely difficult to save.”

The organisation has treated more than 1,000 birds that were either brought to them by rescuers or were picked up by their ambulances.

How can you help?

In a rapidly urbanising country affected by climate change-induced extreme heat, experts still believe in the small, first responder interventions to save birds.

Putting up bird feeders, a bowl or earthen pot of water in balconies or terraces, undertaking initial steps and contacting helplines upon finding a bird in distress are simple measures but with increased awareness, they are very efficient in protecting birds from dehydration, experts said.

“Keep water bowls, plant trees or even have house plants. If we are able to contribute even very little to help with the rising heat, even 0.01% change out of our efforts is enough,” said Saud.