Is Habitat Conversion Likely to Impede the Ability of Bird Species to Track Changing Climate?

The study of species near their range edges may offer clues to whether habitat conversions due to human activities are imposing barriers to species tracking warming climates.• Southerly species living at their northern edge, and northerly species near their southern edge, have responded differently to land cover conversions.• Species at their southern range edge are less likely to occur in landscapes where forest amount is reduced, while species near their northern range edge are more likely to occur in landscapes with reduced forest.• We propose that warming climate and forest conversion both reduce many species' abilities to occupy landscapes at their southern range edges.In contrast, near northern range edges, which are potentially expanding, partially disturbed landscapes are more readily invaded than undisturbed forested landscapes.