Where are the songbirds? As climate shifts, Acadia’s forests are getting quieter

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 17, 2026

The morning chorus of songbirds at Acadia National Park is losing some of its well-known voices. New research suggests the park’s forests have grown quieter over the last half-century, in part because of a fast-warming climate. The once common flute-like melody of the Swainson’s thrush is giving way to the car alarm calls of the red-breasted nuthatch. Some birds have left, like the bay-breasted warbler and the olive-sided flycatcher. The stretches of silence between calls and songs is increasing.