Latest news with #StateoftheBirds
Axios
14-07-2025
- General
- Axios
Birds in Tennessee and nationwide are vanishing — fast
One of Tennessee's state birds, the northern bobwhite quail, is in serious decline, and a new report suggests many other bird species are facing similar threats. Why it matters: Birds are indicators of the overall health of their habitats and signal early warnings of broader trouble. If habitats can't support birdlife, there could be problems for other wildlife — or even humans. Zoom in: The northern bobwhite quail, Tennessee's game bird, was once abundant statewide. But a 2020 report found that the in-state population had declined more than 5% per year since 1966. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency attributes the declines to a loss of farmland and other areas suitable for the ground-dwelling birds. The state launched a "quail team" in 2017 to develop a plan to rebuild the bobwhite population. Efforts to restore a robust and self-sustaining quail population are ongoing. The big picture: It's not just the quail. 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, per the North American Bird Conservation Initiative's 2025 State of the Birds report. State of play: Dozens of bird species in Tennessee are vulnerable because of population declines. Forests have become quieter as several populations nosedived. For instance, golden-winged warblers have become relatively scarce in Tennessee and are listed as a species "In Need of Management." The Bachman's sparrow has all but disappeared from the state. Between the lines: Urban sprawl is a factor in many cases. As new development encroaches on small family farms and wild areas, many once-common birds have become harder to find. The intrigue: The State of Birds report notes that most forests in the Southeast are on private land, meaning that "voluntary and incentive-based programs" are essential to conservation.
Axios
23-06-2025
- General
- Axios
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.
Axios
28-05-2025
- General
- Axios
Birds in Florida and nationwide are vanishing — fast
Birds that call Florida's coastline and pine forests home are in serious decline, according to a sweeping new conservation report. Why it matters: Birds are indicators of the overall health of their habitats and signal early warnings of broader trouble. If these habitats can't support birdlife, they likely can't sustain other wildlife — or even humans — for long. What they're saying: A list of species that have lost more than half of their populations in the last 50 years is "like a hit parade of Florida birds," Audubon Florida executive director Julie Wraithmell told Axios. That's in part due to migration patterns, she said. "Florida has an outsized importance for birds of this hemisphere because we're kind of like a Grand Central Station." State of play: Coastal species, including the Wilson's plover, sanderling and least tern, have experienced steep declines, according to the North American Bird Conservation Initiative's 2025 State of the Birds report. So have woodland birds like the Bachman's sparrow and Florida scrub jay — the only bird endemic to the Sunshine State — as the pine forests they inhabit shrink or disappear due to development. Zoom in: Several of the declining shorebirds are nesting now along Tampa Bay beaches, Wraithmell said, including the least tern, Wilson's plover and snowy plover. So are black skimmers, a species that didn't make the list but that Wraithmell said is similarly struggling in Florida. Friction point: These birds lay their eggs directly on the beach, making their nests particularly vulnerable. That's why beachgoers may see areas of sand blocked off to pedestrians or Audubon Florida's bird stewards keeping watch. "People aren't expecting eggs in a small, shallow indentation of sand," Wraithmell said. "A single person cutting through can cause the failure of an entire colony." Struggling to find undisturbed beach sites, some birds have turned to flat gravel rooftops, which presents its own set of challenges. The big picture: It's not just Florida. 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: There are signs of hope. Conservation efforts helped the breeding population for American oystercatchers, which also nest along Tampa Bay beaches, bounce back 43% since 2009, although further conservation efforts are needed to sustain that recovery, per the report. What's next: Scientists are calling for bigger investments in habitat protection — particularly on private lands and in partnership with local communities and Indigenous nations.
Axios
19-05-2025
- General
- Axios
Birds in Virginia and nationwide are vanishing — fast
Birds that call Virginia's coast and mountains 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 people. By the numbers: In the past 50 years, Virginia species like Wilson's Plover — a signature bird of Virginia's barrier islands — have lost half of their population, per the North American Bird Conservation Initiative's 2025 State of the Birds report. The plover and the Golden-winged warbler are now labeled a "Tipping Point" species, meaning they could vanish within the next half-century without urgent conservation action. The cerulean warbler in Virginia's mountains has also seen its population crash in the past 50 years. Zoom in: The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources has said pollution, changing climate and "the sea level rise that comes with it" can impact Virginia's coastal birds. The report noted declines in eastern forest birds, like the Bachman's sparrow in Virginia, are partly due to habitat loss from residential development. Threat level: A blow to birds is a blow to the economy. From birding tourism to pest control and pollination, birds generate nearly $280 billion annually for the U.S. economy, the report finds. The big picture: It's not just Virginia. 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: There are signs of hope. Thanks to wetland protections, dabbling and diving duck populations have jumped 24% since 1970, while waterbirds are up 16%, per the report.
Axios
06-05-2025
- General
- Axios
Utah's birds are disappearing fast
Birds that call Utah's mountains and deserts home are in serious decline, according to a sweeping new conservation report. Why it matters: Birds are indicators of the overall health of their habitats and signal early warnings of broader trouble. If these habitats can't support birdlife, they probably can't sustain other wildlife — or even humans — for long. By the numbers: In the past 50 years, Utah species like the greater sage grouse, the desert-dwelling Bendire's thrasher and the sagebrush sparrow have seen their populations cut in half, per the North American Bird Conservation Initiative's 2025 State of the Birds report. The pinyon jay — a signature species of our pinyon-juniper woodlands — has lost 70% of its population since 1970. It's now labeled a "tipping point" species, meaning it could vanish unless urgent conservation action is taken. State of play: In the past 55 years, the West has lost almost half of arid-land bird habitat to drought, wildfires and invasive plants, the report states. Nearly a quarter of the 31 arid-land birds included in the analysis are considered tipping point species. Over half of western forest birds are declining. Zoom in: The shrinking Great Salt Lake is a critical hub for migratory birds, including about 21% of North America's endangered snowy plovers — also a tipping point species. The lake's long-billed dowitchers and sanderlings are also at the tipping point. Follow the money: A blow to birds is a blow to the economy. From birding tourism to pest control and pollination, birds generate nearly $280 billion annually for the U.S. economy, the report finds. What they're saying:"It's a reality check for us, every time we do one of these," Mike Brasher, co-chair of the report's science committee, told Audubon magazine. "Threats to birds [and] bird habitat are as great now as they have ever been, and they're accelerating, in most cases," Brasher said. The big picture: It's not just Utah. 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.
