Since 1970, North America has lost 3 billion birds. The decline hasn’t stopped.
Bird populations across the United States are plummeting, according to a new report from the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) that paints a sobering picture of ecological decline.
One in three species—229 in total—are now in urgent need of conservation. Among them, 112 “Tipping Point” species have lost over half their numbers in the past five decades, reports Spoorthy Raman. These include Allen’s hummingbird on the West Coast, California’s tricolored blackbird, and the saltmarsh sparrow of the Eastern seaboard.
The findings update and reinforce a landmark 2019 study that revealed North America had lost three billion birds since 1970. Declines are continuing across all major bird groups, including those previously seen as conservation successes. Even ducks, whose populations had rebounded for decades, are now falling due to mounting climate pressures.
Yet the report is not without optimism.
“We have clear evidence that conservation works in halting declines,” said Mike Parr of the American Bird Conservancy.
Targeted initiatives have helped some species rebound. American oystercatchers, once in serious decline, have seen their breeding population rise by 43% following coordinated restoration efforts along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Baird’s sparrow numbers rose 20% between 2017 and 2020 thanks to bird-friendly ranching in North Dakota.
The Road to Recovery initiative, a collaboration of government, academic, and non-profit groups, aims to replicate such success stories. But effective action depends on research to identify the drivers of decline and funding that matches the scale of the challenge.
There are broader incentives to act:
- Birding contributes $279 billion to the U.S. economy annually and supports 1.4 million jobs.
- Nearly 100 million Americans engage in birdwatching, an activity that unites diverse communities and supports mental health.
- Restoring bird habitats also brings co-benefits: clean water, resilient ecosystems, and rural employment.
“What is good for birds is good for people,” the report concludes.
But time is running short.
