The State of the Birds 2014

September 9, 2014
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American redstart.

One hundred years after the extinction of the passenger pigeon, the nation’s top bird science and conservation groups have come together to publish State of the Birds 2014—the most comprehensive review of long-term trend data for U.S. birds ever conducted. The authors call the results unsettling. The report finds bird populations declining across several key habitats, and it includes a “watch list” of bird species in need of immediate conservation help. The report also reveals, however, that in areas where a strong conservation investment has been made, bird populations are recovering. The full report can be found at stateofthebirds.org.

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
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Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute
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    State of the Birds: 'I'iwi

    All 33 native Hawaiian forest bird species, including this ʻIʻiwi, are on The State of the Birds 2014 Watch List—a list of species currently endangered or at risk of becoming endangered without significant conservation.

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    State of the Birds: Cerulean Warbler, Reinita Cerúlea

    Neotropical migrants, such as the cerulean warbler, breed in North America and winter south of U.S. borders. Their conservation requires international cooperation to protect habitats throughout their ranges in North America, as well as Central and South America and the Caribbean.

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    State of the Birds: Emperor Goose, Ánsar Emperador

    Emperor geese and other coastal species have been squeezed into strips of shrinking degraded habitat due to development and pollution. Wildlife refuges, however, have helped increase the populations of dozens of coastal species by 28 percent since 1968.

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    State of the Birds: Greater Prairie-Chicken, Gallo de las Praderas Grandes

    Desert and sagebrush habitats in the West have the steepest population declines of breeding birds in the nation—a 46 percent loss since 1968. However, the nearly 40 percent loss in grassland birds, like this greater prairie-chicken, has leveled off since 1990 due to conservation. 

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    State of the Birds: Migration Map
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    State of the Birds: Northern Pintail, Pato Golondrino

    Wetlands are one of the habitats to benefit most from conservation, according to The State of the Birds 2014 report. For many species in protected wetlands, population declines have been reversed.

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    State of the Birds: Red Knot, Playero Ártico

    The State of the Birds 2014 report found that red knots and other shorebirds are among the most threatened groups in the U.S. More than half of U.S.