State of the Birds 2014 Finds Aridland Habitats Rapidly Degrading

Reprinted from the American Bird Conservancy

Bird science and conservation groups, and federal agencies have come together to publish State of the Birds 2014—the most comprehensive review of long-term trend data for U.S. birds ever conducted. The full report can be found at stateofthebirds.org.

State of the Birds assessed population trends in seven key habitats and finds bird populations declining in arid lands (deserts and sagebrush), grasslands, eastern and western forests. Birds in fragile aridland habitats show the steepest population declines in the nation with a 46 percent loss in the population of these birds since 1968. Habitat loss and fragmentation, energy development, hydrological alteration, overgrazing and conversion to agriculture are the largest threats.

These are also significant threats in the nation’s grasslands, where the report notes a decline in breeding birds, like the Eastern Meadowlark and the Bobolink, of nearly 40 percent since 1968. That decline, however, appears to have leveled off since 1990—a result, the authors say, of the significant investments made in grassland bird conservation.

There are some encouraging signs for many species in grasslands, wetlands and several other key habitats that have benefited from targeted conservation efforts. In general, development is squeezing shorebirds and their habitat along the coasts. However, among the 49 coastal species examined, there has been a steady rise in populations of 28 percent since 1968. This may be a reflection of the establishment of 160 national coastal wildlife refuges and nearly 600,000 acres of national seashore in ten states.

New Watch List Identifies Most Endangered Bird Species

Included in the new State of the Birds report is an updated Watch List of Birds of Conservation Concern available at http://www.stateofthebirds.org/extinctions/watchlist.pdf.

The 230 species on the U.S. list are currently endangered or at risk of becoming endangered without significant conservation. Forty-two of them are pelagic (open ocean) species. Birds like the Laysan’s Albatross and Black-footed Albatross are facing increasing levels of oil contamination, plastic pollution and greatly reduced amounts of prey fish due to commercial fishing operations. More than half of all U.S. shorebird species are on the Watch List, including the Piping Plover, Long-billed Curlew and Red Knot. Loss of habitat and uncontrolled hunting in the South America and Caribbean are some of their biggest threats. 

One of the more dire groups on the Watch List is made up of the 33 Hawaiian forest species, 23 of which are listed as federally endangered. The report’s authors have deemed Hawai’i the “bird extinction capital of the world”—no place has had more extinctions since human settlement. Another group on the Watch List will require international cooperation: neotropical migrants. These species that breed in North America but migrate south of the U.S. border in winter hold 30 spots on the Watch List.

State of the Birds Outreach

Webinar - The State of the Birds 2014 Report: Science and Conservation Applications

Learn about the key findings in the 2014 report, the science behind those results, and what it all

means for bird conservation. Speakers include Ken Rosenberg, Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Allison Vogt, AFWA

• Ø  When: Wednesday, September 17^th from 1:00-2:30pm eastern
• Ø  To Join: http://mat.adobeconnect.com/sotbscience/ and call 209-255-1000 with passcode 151959#.   If calling from CAN, dial (605) 562-3115 with passcode 151959# and from MEX dial  +52 (01) 899 274 8400 with passcode 151959#

Webinar - Communicating the State of the Birds: Tools and Tactics for Sharing Messages from the 2014 Report

Presented in conjunction with the Bird Education Alliance for Conservation

Learn about the key findings in the 2014 report along with the communications tools available for your use. Ken Rosenberg, Cornell Lab of Ornithology; other speakers TBA

• Ø  When: Wednesday, October 1^st  from 1:00-2:30pm eastern
• Ø  To Join: http://mat.adobeconnect.com/sotbandbeac/and call 209-255-1000 with passcode 151959#. If calling from CAN, dial (605) 562-3115 with passcode 151959# and from MEX dial  +52 (01) 899 274 8400 with passcode 151959#