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Population trends for North American birds/State of the Birds Report

Editor's note: This updates with reaction from Elaine Leslie, a former chief of biological resources for the National Park Service.

Sea ducks such as Common eiders adn Black scoters, grassland birds such as Western meadowlarks and Lark buntings, and forest species such as Pinyon jays in the West and Bachman's sparrow in the East are among a wide variety of bird species that are in serious declines, according to the 2025 State of the Birds report.

“Birds tell us that we have a full-on emergency across all habitats,” said Marshall Johnson, chief conservation officer at the National Audubon Society. 

The report, released Thursday at the 90th annual North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Kentucky, said 229 species are in urgent need of conservation. It noted that "more than one-third of U.S. bird species 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."

"The 2025 State of the Birds Report reveals some very disconcerting trends…none of which are surprising and all of which are likely to increase," said Elaine Leslie, who retired from the National Park Service in 2019 as chief of biological resources for the agency. "Widespread declines in American bird populations are across all habitat types, terrestrial and marine, and all of these habitats are present in our nation’s most protected landscapes: national parks.

"While the report certainly highlights the impacts to birds from habitat loss and fragmentation/land conversion and the subsequent environmental degradation on bird populations, there is little emphasis on addressing invasive exotic species such as cats and their impacts, which are well documented and take a huge toll on bird populations," she added in an email. "Other exotics and invasives such as mosquitos or brown tree snakes also need vigorous attention and continued funding to save highly endangered birds in Hawaii, Guam and elsewhere. Without it, years of hard work and progress will have been lost."

At the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Center for Avian Population Studies, Dr. Amanda Rodewald, the faculty director, said 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.”

According to the report, which comes five years after a study determined that more than 3 billion birds have been lost from North America in the past 50 years, said grassland and aridland bird species are in the fastest decline, with 43 percent of grassland birds lost since 1970 and 41 percent of aridland birds. Waterfowl populations are down 20 percent since 2014, it added.

So-called "Tipping Point" species, such as Black rails, the Hawaiian petrel, and Evening grosbeaks, have lost 50 percent or more of their populations over the past 50 years, the report noted.

Dr. Steve Adair, Ducks Unlimited chief scientist, pointed out that 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.

“Decades of strategic and aggressive wetland habitat conservation from hunters, landowners, state and federal agencies, and corporations has boosted numerous waterfowl and waterbird species when weather conditions are favorable. We’ve shown it works. And we must do more,” said Adair. 

Leslie added, however, that "[T]oday we should be worried that while conservation efforts can and have been effective, support in the form of funding and staffing is likely to diminish in this administration. Science and interpretive and law enforcement positions will be cut and experienced staff will exit the federal workforce-by force or voluntarily. Why does this matter? Inventory and monitoring of avifauna in our parks and other public lands will be limited at best. Critical data will be lost. The ability to save an at-risk species or keep common species common is threatened."