Our backyards are now facing the biodiversity crisis
In less than one human lifetime, nearly 2.9 billion breeding adult birds from the United States have been lost. This includes familiar birds like the Dark-eyed Junco, which has lost an astonishing 175 million of its members.The White-throated Sparrow lost 93 million.Find out how you can help to save the birds.Bluebird Meaning We have lost more than 25% of our birdlife in the last 25 years.Researchers from seven institutions including American Bird Conservancy published these findings in Science the world’s most prestigious scientific journal.View the details of the study or share our video.
More Information about the Numbers
The disappearance of birds is indicative of a larger crisis in nature, one that is also being reflected in global wildlife losses, including amphibians and insects.Even common species are disappearing, which indicates a shift within our ecosystems’ ability to support basic birdlife.Nearly 3 billion birds were lost worldwide, but 90% of them came from 12 bird families: sparrows and warblers, finches, and swallows.These widespread, common species are important for ecosystem function.If they are in trouble, then the entire web of life, which includes us, will be in trouble as well.
About the Graphics
Beacon fire created the photo treatment for 3 Billion Birds. It was provided by the National Audubon Society and the American Bird Conservancy campaign partner. A number is as large as 2.9 Billion is difficult to comprehend. It is helpful to think of it as a balance sheet. Every year, many birds die while others produce young. However, since 1970, there have been 2.9 billion fewer breeding birds than ever before.
This is the first
study you will undertake.An accounting of the net population change across 529 breeding bird species in Canada and the United States. Researchers analyzed birds group by group to find declines in species that share similar habitats.These findings were based on 48 years of data from several independent sources including the North American Breeding Bird Survey (NABSC) and the Christmas Bird Count.The magnitude of
Many birds die each year while others produce young birds.However, since 1970, more birds have perished than have survived, which has led to a decline of 2.9 billion breeding birds.
