US Edition75 percent of North America’s bird species are in decline, study says
- A team led by Alison Johnston published a study on May 1, 2025, revealing sharp declines in North American bird populations using data across the Americas.
- The study addresses the lack of localized, high-quality data by applying machine learning to nearly 36 million observations from the citizen science platform eBird.
- Their analysis covered 495 species and mapped trends in 27-by-27-kilometer plots, uncovering widespread declines especially in species' strongholds and revealing complex regional patterns.
- Between 1970 and 2017, bird populations in North America declined by nearly one-third, amounting to an estimated loss of 2.9 billion breeding adults, with 83 percent of species experiencing the fastest declines in regions where they were previously most plentiful.
- The findings highlight an ongoing extinction crisis disruptive to ecosystems and are now used by wildlife agencies to guide conservation and minimize impacts on species like Bald Eagles.
54 Articles
54 Articles
Study shows how millions of bird sightings unlock precision conservation
A groundbreaking study reveals that North American bird populations are declining most severely in areas where they should be thriving. Researchers analyzed 36 million bird observations shared by birdwatchers to the Cornell Lab's eBird program alongside multiple environmental variables derived from high-resolution satellite imagery for 495 bird species across North America from 2007 to 2021.
Denver Post
It’s peak bird migration season in Colorado. But their populations are in a steady decline.
As Colorado enters its peak bird migration season, which is forecast from May 4 to 18, songbird populations are in decline. Bird scientists ask people to turn off their outside lights at night to help birds navigate.
Study Details Alarming Decline in North American Bird Populations
A new study published in the journal Science finds three-quarters of all bird species are in decline across North America, with the strongest declines occurring in areas where species were most abundant.
North American birds are plummeting in areas where they’re plentiful
A newly published study has found that nearly 75% of bird species in North America are sharply declining across their ranges, and eight in 10 plummeting in the very areas where they’re thought to be thriving and plentiful. Nearly every species, 97%, had gains and losses in their populations depending on the location, the study […]
Three-quarters of the avian species in North America are experiencing a significant decline in their population, particularly in areas where they are most present, according to a study published on Thursday, May 1 in the journal "Science".
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