The Great Barrier Reef of Australia is known for its booming biodiversity below the water, but it has also been a thriving home for many sea birds. However, due to the rising sea temperatures caused by global warming the number of sea birds on the Great Barrier Reef are declining and are in great danger.
The Australian recently reported on a study performed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority that showed a worrisome 
trend of decline in the number of breedings occurring among the sea birds of the area. The main problem that seems to be plaguing the sea birds is the fact that global warming has caused rising sea temperatures. This in turn means that since the surface waters of the Great Barrier Reef are warmer than they should be, marine life including the plankton, fish, and other forms of marine life are forced to dive deeper into the water to reach the cooler temperatures that they require for survival. This means that the food sources that the sea birds rely upon, are moving out of their reach which in turn results in less and less food for themselves as well as reducing the amount of food available for them to feed their young. Just like any life on Earth, a serious lack of adequate food sources means that the species can not survive for long.
The declining numbers are especially alarming when you consider that the Great Barrier Reef has been home to half of the world's species of birds including both sea and shore birds and other various species. With a usual range of between 1.3 and 1.7 million birds, the Great Barrier Reef is a critical habitat for biodiversity of birds as well as hundreds of species of marine life. Since birds are often used at the warning signs of a dangerous, even deadly, trend this issues becomes of even greater concern and have many questioning the future of the Great Barrier Reef.
The idea of the canary in the mines, applies to the planet as well, seeing bird die offs and major threats to bird populations around the world, especially to such important habitats as the Great Barrier Reef, is a warning to us all that we and the planet are in jeopardy. If drastic and immediate actions to stop greenhouse gases and begin to repair and reverse some of the global warming trends are not taken issues such as these will only become worse as our own habitats and health are also being threatened.