Partners in Flight

Partners in Flight (PIF) focuses on the conservation of land bird species—both by protecting species in decline and by keeping common birds common. The central premise of PIF has been that the resources of public and private organizations in the Western Hemisphere must be combined, coordinated, and increased in order to achieve success in conserving bird populations in this hemisphere.

PIF is a cooperative effort involving federal, state, and local government agencies, philanthropic foundations, professional organizations, conservation groups (such as land trusts), industry, the academic community, and private individuals. All meetings at all levels are open to anyone interested in bird conservation, as they eagerly seek your collaboration and contribution.

What can Partners in Flight offer land trusts?

The PIF website has a wealth of free resources for bird conservation. Surf the site yourself, or go directly to the resources below that we’ve identified for land trusts.

• Conservation Plans

  PIF promotes a proactive and science-based planning approach that sets priorities and objectives for landbird conservation at regional and continental scales. The 2016 Landbird Conservation Plan identifies regional “stewardship species” that are most important for land trusts to focus on within a given region. These priorities can be used by land trusts in their planning, or to justify grants, easements, or acquisitions.

• PIF Databases

  There are two PIF Databases: the Avian Conservation Assessment Database (ACAD) and the Population Estimates Database (PED).

  • The ACAD compiles biological data and conservation assessment rankings at multiple geographic scales for over 1,600 bird species in North America.

  • The PED provides breeding population size estimates for North American landbirds. It includes standardized information on how many individual birds of each species are estimated to exist during the breeding season at multiple geographic scales.

• Best Management Practices

  PIF has compiled a list of best management practices by ecosystem and issue. Land trusts can apply these BMPs on their fee-owned lands, or provide them to interested land trust members or land owners with conservation easements. Visit the Management Guides (link to this tab) section under this Resource directory for a comprehensive list.

• Get Involved in PIF

  If you’re really interested in bird conservation, you (and PIF) could benefit from your involvement in the partnership. There are many committees and regional working groups in which to participate. Get in touch with the contact person to find out more.