Research Guides: Birds: Conservation

Bird Conservation

Reports from the National Audubon Society, the Cornell Ornithology Lab, and many others show that bird species are under grave threat from climate change and human activity.

One of the important parts about birding is that it turns us all into bird advocates. Let's do what we can to save the birds!

Research

Survival by Degrees: 389 Bird Species on the Brink (Audubon, Oct. 2019)
“Two-thirds of America’s birds are threatened with extinction from climate change, but keeping global temperatures down will help up to 76 percent of them. There’s hope in this report, but first, it’ll break your heart if you care about birds and what they tell us about the ecosystems we share with them. It’s a bird emergency,” said David Yarnold, CEO and president of Audubon.
State of the Birds Yearly Report (NABCI/Cornell)
This yearly update from the North American Bird Conservation Initiative and the Cornell Lab shows the current status of American bird populations.
Decline of the North American Avifauna (Rosenberg, K. V. et al., Science, 2019)
This unsettling study showing that "There are 2.9 billion fewer breeding birds in North America than there were in 1970" was done in collaboration by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, American Bird Conservancy, Environment and Climate Change Canada, U.S. Geological Survey, Bird Conservatory of the Rockies, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, and Georgetown University, using data contributed by citizen-scientists.
3 Billion Birds Gone
This website is based on the findings of the Science article, "Decline of the North American Avifauna" (Rosenberg, et al., 2019), and provides information on the threatened species as well as 7 steps we can all take to alleviate the crisis:
1. Make windows safer, day and night
2. Keep cats indoors
3. Reduce lawn, plant natives
4. Avoid pesticides
5. Drink "bird-friendly coffee" grown in shade areas
6. Protect the planet from plastics
7. Watch birds and share what you see

National/International Agreements & Plans

As birds don't recognize state or national borders in their migration patterns, much of the work to conserve and protect birds must come through cross-border agreements.

North American Waterfowl Management Plan (signed by Canada, US, Mexico)
The crossborder Waterfowl Management Plan was signed in 1986 by the United States and Canada and in 1994 by Mexico, and has been the source of many international efforts to protect birds.
U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan (state/federal/NGO)
The Shorebird Conservation Plan unites state and federal governments with nongovernmental organizations "to develop a conservation strategy for migratory shorebirds and the habitats upon which they depend."

Organizations

American Bird Conservancy
An American nonprofit organization devoted to bird conservation.
Latin American Bird Reserves (ABC)
Bird reserves created throughout Latin America by the American Bird Conservancy.
Migratory Birds Joint Ventures
Following the signing of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, the Migratory Birds Joint Ventures, cross-border regional offices through Mexico, the US, and Canada, were created to enact the commitments of the plan.
Partners in Flight
Partners in Flight is a state/federal/nonprofit collaborative group focused on landbirds.
U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) Committee
The North American Bird Conservation Initiative, a partnership of government agencies, bird nonprofits, and other organizations, does a lot of cross-border work.

Library Books about Bird Conservation

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Birds in Trouble by Lynn E. Barber
Call Number: Ebook

ISBN: 9781623493608

Publication Date: 2016-03-01
American Bird Conservancy Guide to Bird Conservation by Daniel J. Lebbin
Call Number: Ebook

ISBN: 9780226647296

Publication Date: 2010-01-01
Saving American Birds: T. Gilbert Pearson and the Founding of the Audubon Movement by Oliver H. Orr
Call Number: Ebook

ISBN: 9780813023625

Publication Date: 1992-01-01

Birds

Bird Conservation

Reports from the National Audubon Society, the Cornell Ornithology Lab, and many others show that bird species are under grave threat from climate change and human activity.

Research

National/International Agreements & Plans

Organizations

Library Books about Bird Conservation

Log into Okta if prompted.

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