Nearly 3 Billion Birds Lost Since 1970
We’ve Lost One in Four Birds Since 1970
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, NUMBERS HAVE PLUMMETED, EVEN AMONG COMMON SPECIES
In less than a single lifetime, North America has lost more than one in four of its birds, according to a report in the world’s leading scientific journal.
Published in Science by researchers at seven institutions, the findings show that 2.9 billion breeding adult birds have been lost since 1970, including birds in every ecosystem.
The losses include iconic songsters such as Eastern and Western Meadowlarks (down by 139 million) and favorite birds at feeders, such as Dark-eyed Juncos (down by 168 million) and sweet-singing White-throated Sparrows (down by 93 million).
The disappearance of even common species indicates a general shift in our ecosystems’ ability to support basic birdlife, the scientists conclude. (https://www.3billionbirds.org/)
National Audubon: Survival by Degrees: 389 Birds Species on the Brink
As the climate changes, so will the places birds need
Audubon scientists took advantage of 140 million observations, recorded by birders and scientists, to describe where 604 North American bird species live today—an area known as their “range.” They then used the latest climate models to project how each species’s range will shift as climate change and other human impacts advance across the continent.
The results are clear: Birds will be forced to relocate to find favorable homes. And they may not survive.
