From the Summer 2025 issue of Living Bird magazine. Subscribe now.
If you haven’t already, I urge you to read the 2025 State of the Birds report for the United States. It’s a monumental collaborative effort by more than a dozen U.S. bird organizations working together as the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, and is the first U.S. State of the Birds report that makes extensive use of the latest eBird Trends models. Together with a major new study published in the journal Science in May 2025 that uses eBird Trends to analyze the patterns of bird population declines, this body of research paints a stark picture.
Approximately 75% of bird species in North America are now in decline, with the most severe declines among habitat specialists such as grassland birds, shorebirds, and birds of the arid zones. On average, between a third and a half of the populations in these groups have been lost. Across all groups, 112 birds are now considered to be Tipping Point species, with more than half of their populations lost in the last few decades.
The studies also contain signs of hope. State of the Birds highlights cases where conservation has been successful in bending the loss curve so that local populations are increasing. For each of the major groups in decline, the report identifies key steps to recovery and spotlights ways that groups are working together to make that happen. Many of the stories are inspirational in terms of clarity of the data, the ingenuity of the solutions, and the determination of the teams involved.
The Science study shows that, while the majority of species are now in decline overall, almost all species have some geographic regions where populations are increasing. The search is now on for what factors determine such differences in population trends, with the hope that some of those factors may be under our control. In other cases, there appears to be a continent-wide reassortment of species, with some species moving north in response to rising temperatures, and species moving out of regions that have become uninhabitably dry because of reductions in rainfall.
There’s also a fascinating section in the State of the Birds report on the popularity and economic value of birds and birdwatching in the U.S. The latest figures from a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service outdoor recreation survey show there are now around 100 million birdwatchers in the United States. That’s about a third of the adult population, and together they spend over $100 billion every year on birdwatching gear, travel, and bird food. Such huge numbers are likely the result of the post-pandemic surge in interest in birds and nature more generally, with more than half of anglers and hunters also expressing a passion for birds. The report estimates the total annual economic value of birder-related activities is about $280 billion.
It’s hard to imagine a clearer canary in the coal mine than North America’s birds. The world’s most detailed continent-wide analyses make a devastating case that entire ecosystems are quietly collapsing beneath our feet. And yet, there remains the opportunity to reverse the declines, with equally compelling evidence of the impact that data-driven conservation action can make, and the unique power of birds to bring joy and inspire a connection with nature.
I don’t read the State of the Birds as an obituary. I read it as a blueprint for positive, community-driven change.
