Climate change poses threat to England's birds

Climate change in England could be detrimental to some of the nation's bird species, a new report has warned.

Birds such as the curlew and cuckoo are under increasing threat as a result of climate change, with the report warning that just a 2C rise could have severe consequences.

However, insects such as wasps and ants will thrive under the warming conditions, says the report from Natural England.

Dr Humphrey Crick from Natural England told the BBC: "Some species will be pushed further and further north and some may end up in Scandinavia rather than in Britain at all.

"In the upland areas it's the drying out of the habitats and the lack of rainfall that might occur and the increased evaporation, and the habitats that many of these northern species will dry out – for things like curlew the ground will be too hard for them to stick their beak in effectively."

The report also depicts a north-south divide with some animals. Crick told the BBC that birds and wasps are moving into new habitats as the temperature edges upwards.

Speaking about birds like the avocet and little egret, he said: "They have spread quite widely, up into Surrey, up into Suffolk, the Peak District and into Wales.

"They have done incredibly well, and we can pretty well ascribe those changes to climate, and the less severe winters we have had. They could become a characteristic species of the uplands in the future."

The report, the authors hope, will be a useful guide to land managers in the country.