There is no question that natural disasters of all types have a tremendous impact on local wildlife, including birds, but that impact isn't always negative. Understanding the potentially positive long-term results of a natural disaster can help birders take the best steps to mitigate the negative effects of those same catastrophic events, without undoing the good the disasters can create.

Harmful Effects of Natural Disasters

Fires, floods and other natural disasters have very obvious harmful effects on birds, particularly in the short term, by destroying nesting areas, damaging food supplies and disrupting habitat.

Both adults and nestlings can be killed, food caches can be rendered inedible and migrating birds may be left without critical stopover habitat that can make it difficult for them to complete their seasonal journeys. Even in the worst disaster, however, there can be a silver lining and birds, though not always the same species, may benefit from it in time.

The Benefits of Natural Disasters

Different bird species react to natural disasters in different ways, and while one species may suffer from a catastrophe, another could take advantage of amazing benefits in the years to come, including:

• New Growth: While old, established habitats may be destroyed by a variety of natural disasters, the new habitat that regrows in the same area in the years after the event can benefit many birds. Invasive plants that may not be as able to withstand local conditions could be wiped out by a natural disaster, allowing native plants that provide food and shelter to birds to reclaim the area and reestablish habitat that was lost long ago. Many bird species, such as brown thrashers, Carolina wrens and chipping sparrows thrive in edge habitats with younger, fresher growth, and the endangered Kirtland's warbler requires younger trees for breeding habitat but will avoid mature forests.

• Removing Invasive Predators: Natural disasters are just as destructive to all wildlife as they can be to birds, and invasive predators can be harmed by catastrophic events. A fire, flood or other disaster can force predators to move to a new area, allowing birds and other native species to reclaim the original habitat more safely. When habitats are destroyed, wildlife officials can also take more effective steps to remove invasive predators that now have fewer places to remain undetected.
• New Food Sources: When one food source is destroyed by a natural disaster, it makes room for another food source to gradually emerge. The young buds, sap and flowers of new growth are a rich food source for herbivorous species, and woodpeckers, nuthatches and creepers can feast on the insects that inhabit snags left behind when trees are killed. Fish that are killed in a drought or rodents exposed by grassland destruction become easy food for many raptors, and some pine cones only offer up their seeds after a fire.
• Survival of the Fittest: A natural disaster can cull a bird species, eliminating weak or sickly members more susceptible to the disruption and opening up territory for healthier birds to flourish. While this can temporarily reduce a bird's population in the affected area, over time as the population rebounds, the species will be stronger and even more adaptable. In areas where large bird populations are struggling for limited resources, the die-off that occurs from a natural disaster can help reduce the competition for food, shelter and nesting sites, further strengthening the species.
• Attention: The devastation left in the wake of a natural disaster can raise awareness about its effects on local wildlife, drawing attention to the importance of bird conservation and local avifauna and wildlife diversity. Fundraisers, restoration efforts and other local conservation projects often get more attention after a natural disaster, and an increase in donations and volunteer assistance can be invaluable for continuing to improve habitat and refuge facilities – improvements that will last for many years. Furthermore, some projects benefit from disasters, such as a drought-dried area having boardwalks built more easily and inexpensively in preparation for water levels to rise in future years or a fire-burned area getting replanted with more helpful trees and plants than previous scrub.

Birds have survived thousands of years of natural disasters – earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, fires, droughts, tsunamis and more – proving time and again their adaptability and how they can overcome and adjust to even catastrophic setbacks. By recognizing the potential long-term benefits of natural disasters and how birds can take advantage of them, it is easier to plan conservation and restoration efforts that coincide with those benefits rather than trying to regain what has already been lost.

Photo – Forest Regeneration © K. Kendall