The rapid decline in bird numbers in North America is continuing with 42 species placed on red alert for extinction due to “perilously” low populations.
A study published in 2019 by Cornell University found North American bird populations had declined by nearly 30 percent since 1970.
A follow-up 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report has found that the trend is continuing, even among species that had shown signs of recovery.
Key findings in the new report include:
- About a third of American birds (229 species) are of high or moderate concern due to low populations, declining trends or other threats to their survival
- Grassland and arid-land birds in the US are among the fastest declining groups (43 percent and 41 percent declines, respectively, since 1970)
- Waterfowl populations, which have increased overall since 1970, have declined by 20 percent since 2014.
“In total, 42 species are classified as Red-Alert Tipping Point Species – including greater prairie-chicken, yellow-billed magpie and tricolored blackbird – meaning they have perilously low populations,” the study report said.
“An additional 37 species are considered Orange Alert, indicating that their populations are declining long-term, and that those declines are accelerating.”
Senior director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Center for Avian Population Studies Amanda Rodewald said the results were consistent with worldwide habitat loss.
She said, if conditions were this unhealthy for birds, they were unlikely to be healthy for humans either.
The report cites an economic analysis estimating that bird-related activities generate $279 billion in total annual economic output for the US each year.
“Fortunately, many of the actions that are good for birds are good for us,” Professor Rodewald said. “When we protect the habitats that birds rely upon, we also protect the ecosystem services that sustain us.”
The full report is on the Cornell University website.
