State of North America's Birds report
Backgrounder
The State of North America’s Birds report is published by the North American Bird Conservation Initiative. The bird population data used in the report comes from a wide variety of bird monitoring programs, many of which rely on the participation of thousands of citizen scientists throughout North America who are skilled in bird identification. The report includes state‑of‑the‑art maps showing how birds move across the continent.
The report indicates that:
- 37% of North American bird species are of major conservation concern.
- Groups with the highest percentage of species of concern are seabirds and tropical forest birds.
- Species that rely on grasslands, coastal and aridland habitats are also of concern because of steep population declines.
- Some waterfowl, raptors and colonial seabirds have rebounded from earlier declines, as a result of careful harvest management, wetland restoration and reductions in environmental contaminants.
- Most birds of temperate and boreal forests, tundra, and wetlands are faring moderately well, because their habitat is still relatively intact, although some species that migrate long distances are declining.
The report also identifies ways that everyone can continue to work together to conserve healthy bird communities, and it highlights successful past and current conservation actions. For example:
- As a result of the conservation priorities outlined in the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, waterfowl populations have rebounded from critically low levels in the 1970s and are doing fairly well.
- The Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network has designated almost 100 key migratory shorebird habitat sites from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. Designation calls for a reduction in disturbance, protection from development, and protective zoning.
- Conservation of remaining tropical forests to benefit both resident and migratory birds depends on supporting the livelihoods of resident families in ways that maintain standing forests. A model is the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor program in Mexico, which supports people and forests through sustainable timber harvesting, eco‑tourism development, and sustainable agro‑forestry such as coffee and cacao.
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