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Langham led an Audubon study that examined more than 500 bird species and determined that more than 300 in Canada and the United States face large climate shifts that could reduce their habitat by half or more by 2080. The changing environment will force birds to adapt to new habitats with different temperature and precipitation rates if they are to survive.

The first comprehensive species study of its kind, it will be used to help federal wildlife officials develop improved strategies to conserve bird species, whose abundance and migratory patterns depend on specialized habitats, such as forests, grasslands and coastal areas.

By 2080, the bald eagle, the national symbol of the United States, could see its habitat decrease by 75%, the report says.

All of the habitat of the common loon, the state bird of Minnesota, could disappear in the lower 48 states. In Southern California, the black oystercatcher may abandon coastal areas for more suitable climes in British Columbia and Alaska.

Half of all bird species in North America – including the bald eagle – are at risk of severe population decline by 2080 if the swift pace of global warming continues, the National Audubon Society concluded in a study released Monday.

“The scale of the disruption we’re projecting is a real punch in the gut,” said Gary Langham, chief Audubon scientist.

Other U.S. bird species that could face climate shifts that sharply reduce their habitat include the American avocet, the eared grebe, the trumpeter swan, the white-headed woodpecker and the chestnut-collared longspur.

“What could be missing along with those birds and their ecological niches are their very presence and songs – crucial components of our daily lives and the cultural fabric of our communities,” Langham said.

The study was funded in part by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Its projections “will help inform the service’s migratory bird management objectives and landscape conservation planning,” said spokeswoman Laury Parramore.