Birds in Pennsylvania and nationwide are vanishing fast
Birds that call Pennsylvania home are in serious decline.
Why it matters: Birds are indicators of the health of their habitats and signal early warnings of broader trouble to the environment, and potentially to people.
State of play: Over the past half-century, Pennsylvania species like the piping plover have lost half of their population, per the North American Bird Conservation Initiative's 2025 State of the Birds report.
The report identifies the plover and king rail as a " Tipping Point" species, meaning they are highly vulnerable to extinction.
That list includes the Wood Thrush and golden-winged warbler, which have experienced long-term population losses but have had relatively stable trends recently.
Zoom in: The Pennsylvania Game Commission lists several bird species as endangered and protected, including the great egret, black tern, and plover.
Zoom out: Species of Eastern forest birds, like the field sparrow in Pennsylvania, are declining due to habitat loss from residential development and agriculture.
Threat level: A blow to birds is a blow to the economy. From birding tourism to pest control and pollination, birds generate $279 billion annually for the U.S. economy, the report finds.
The big picture: It's not just Pennsylvania. Researchers tracked species nationwide and found declines almost everywhere — even among birds once thought resilient, like waterfowl.
Roughly one-third of U.S. bird species — 229 in total — are now classified as high or moderate conservation concerns.
Yes, but: It's not all bad. Thanks to wetland protections, dabbling and diving duck populations have jumped 24% since 1970, while waterbirds are up 16%, per the report.
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