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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nI wanted you to be among the first to know that a new study\u2014led by Cornell Lab of Ornithology scientists\u2014has found that the breeding population of birds in the U.S. and Canada has dropped nearly 30% since 1970.
The study, published in the journal Science today by Cornell Lab scientists Ken Rosenberg, Adriaan Dokter, and Laura Helft, and collaborators at six other institutions\u2014found that nearly 3 billion birds have vanished in our lifetime. These staggering losses have occurred across all habitats, from grasslands to the Arctic, shorelines to forests\u2014and have taken a massive toll on even common species, such as sparrows, warblers, blackbirds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have ever contributed citizen-science data or know someone who has, consider this: the findings emerged from new techniques to detect the volume of migratory birds aloft using weather radar, as well as nearly 50 years of bird-monitoring data, including citizen-science records. They show what we might not have perceived otherwise\u2014a rapid loss of more than a quarter of our nations\u2019 bird populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This new knowledge is a wake-up call\u2014a signal that our natural systems are losing the ability to support the richness and diversity of life that they once did just decades ago. Because you are part of our choir of people who love birds and nature, we need you more than ever to join us in lifting collective voices and influencing change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Birds are resilient when we give them a chance\u2014the data show that too. Waterfowl are up by 56%, and raptors have increased by 200% thanks to focused conservation funding and protections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I urge you to share today\u2019s news with your friends and communities. Consider how you can influence change\u2014whether social, civic, or personal\u2014to raise awareness and help bring birds back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n