2025 State of the Birds
This week, I learned about State of the Birds reports.
Every few years since 2009, a handful of non-profit bird conservation organizations come together to produce a report about current bird populations and outlooks in the United States. The most recent report was released in March 2025.
I'm certainly no expert, so you may want to go straight to the full report. Alternatively, here's a full summary, a short summary, or a podcast episode if you're an audio person.
It also just so happens that yesterday, the Audubon published this article, National Bird Day: A New Year's Flight Path for Birds and People, which offers an update almost a year after the 2025 report was released.
Here are some of my takeaways from all this.
participatory science is key to compiling the reports
The reports rely on data from a wide range of monitoring programs, including:
the US Geological Survey's Breeding Bird Survey, Audubon's Christmas Bird Count, and eBird Trends maps. Much of this monitoring is built on the efforts of community scientists, who are the "eyes on the ground" to show when bird populations are changing. This report is powered by people.
The cool part about all this is that anyone can contribute to this effort by reporting bird observations to sites like eBird or iNaturalist, or by joining another bird participatory science project. I can finally do something, yell "FOR SCIENCE!!", and not be lying. Dreams really do come true!
the bad news
numbers don't lie
Bird populations are in trouble. In 2019, scientists found that in the last 50 years, North American bird populations declined by 3 billion birds (about a quarter of the total avian population). That's catastrophic. Imagine if North America lost a quarter of its human population over a 50 year period? It's unthinkable.
The 2025 report shows that we're at risk of losing many more birds without immediate action:
More than one-third of US bird species [229 species to be exact] are of high or moderate conservation concern, including 112 Tipping Point species that have lost more than 50 percent of their populations in the last 50 years. That includes 42 red-alert species facing perilously low populations, such as Allen's Hummingbird, Tricolored Blackbird, and Saltmarsh Sparrow--birds that are at risk without immediate intervention.
birds and humans live in the same degraded environments
Birds aren't struggling "somewhere else." They're struggling right here. Where you live, where I live, at national parks, at our favorite beach. Everywhere, actually. Bird populations are in decline in all habitats, including the ones we live in.
The rapid declines in birds signal the intensifying stressors that wildlife and people alike are experiencing around the world because of habitat loss, environmental degradation, and extreme weather events...When we see declines like those outlined in the report, we need to remember that if conditions are not healthy for birds, they're unlikely to be healthy for us.
the good news!
bird conservation efforts directly benefit humans
Restoring habitats helps all living creatures, including humans, thrive.
Protecting [birds] helps safeguard the natural and sustainable systems we all depend on--clean water, healthy forests, productive farmland, and resilient coastlines.
Fortunately, many of the actions that are good for birds are good for us. When we protect the habitats that birds rely upon, we also protect the ecosystem services that sustain us.
birding and participatory science are on the rise
More Americans than ever are engaging with birdwatching or other bird-related activities. And the number of people who contribute to participatory science projects is increasing too.
Public interest in birds and the economic benefits from birding are at unprecedented levels, as is the information available about the status of each and every one of our bird species.
birding is great for the economy
For all the capitalists out there complaining about how we "just don't have the money" to spend on bird conservation, how does $279 billion in annual economic revenue sound? What's that? Oh, it's the sound of capitalists caring! (I had to ask because I've never heard it before)
With nearly 100 million Americans engaged in birding activities, their contributions to local and state economies are substantial. The report highlights findings from the 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Association Recreation, noting that the total economic output related to bird watching activities is $279 billion, and birding related activities support 1.4 million jobs.
The Audubon went more in-depth on this topic in their article, Birding is a Booming Hobby--and a Big Business.
scientists know what works
Professionals aren't randomly throwing ideas at the wall, wasting precious time or resources. There are proven strategies that work, but funding and policy support is needed to scale them.
Private lands programs and conservation partnerships such as conservation ranching, coastal restoration, forest renewal, and seabird translocation show how concerted efforts and strategic investments can recover bird populations.
We have clear evidence that conservation works in halting declines. What we need now more than ever are policies and funding that match the scale of the greatest challenges birds face today. The science is solid on how to reverse the damage done, but to succeed, these issues need to be taken seriously.
what can random individuals like you and me do to help?
I'm still in my first year of birding but I've already learned that individuals can make a big impact!
- Birdwatching is fun and great for your mental health. It's also a great way to start learning about birds in your local neighborhood and conservation efforts in your region. And you can go with other people! Find your local Audubon chapter
- Native plants directly support local wildlife, including birds. Try adding a few to your yard or balcony. Visit your local nursery and ask about native plants or enter your zip code into the Native Plant Finder website. You can even order curated native plant collections from the Garden for Wildlife initiative.