Still Falling: The Fate of America’s Birds in 2025
Five years ago, a groundbreaking study stunned the world by revealing that North America had lost 3 billion birds - nearly one in four - since 1970. Now, the 2025 *State of the Birds* report confirms that the losses are not slowing. While some species are stable or recovering, many more are in sharp decline. The findings are both a sobering reminder of the scale of the crisis and a call to action for those who care about birds and the wild systems they represent.
Across every major habitat type - from grasslands and deserts to forests, wetlands, and coastal shores - bird populations are dwindling. Grassland birds have declined by 43%, and aridland birds by 41% since 1970. Shorebirds, long known to be in trouble, now include 19 species classified as Tipping Point species - those that have lost over half their population in the past 50 years and are still declining. Even ducks, once the success story of American bird conservation, are showing signs of reversal, with breeding populations dropping across the Prairie Pothole Region.
A Barometer of Change
Birds are more than beautiful and beloved. They are indicators of habitat health, early warnings of ecosystem stress. A third of all U.S. bird species are now of high or moderate concern. The habitats they depend upon - grasslands, sagebrush steppe, arid deserts, coastal wetlands - are themselves under siege from agriculture, development, invasive species, and climate change.
The loss of birds is not just a matter for ornithologists. As the report points out, healthy bird populations are entwined with human well-being. They pollinate plants, disperse seeds, control pests, and drive billions of dollars in ecotourism and recreation. In practical terms, when birds disappear, it often means clean water, fertile soil, and natural flood defences are disappearing too.
Conservation in Action
Despite the grim headlines, the 2025 report also presents compelling evidence that targeted conservation works. The American Oystercatcher, once spiralling downward along the Atlantic Coast, has rebounded by 43% thanks to a coordinated 16-state recovery initiative. In the Great Plains, over 100 ranches have joined Audubon’s bird-friendly grazing programmes, restoring 3 million acres of working grassland and boosting species like Baird’s Sparrow.
In the arid West, the Desert Thrasher Working Group is pioneering voluntary management practices for solar farms that preserve crucial habitat for species like Bendire’s and LeConte’s Thrasher. And in the Pacific Northwest, tribal-led restoration of oak and prairie ecosystems is beginning to reverse declines in iconic birds like the Lewis’s Woodpecker.
These successes are underpinned by science and collaboration. They show that when we understand the drivers of decline - and invest in the right places at the right time - populations can stabilise or even recover.
A Shared Responsibility
Much of this conservation work happens not in national parks but across the mosaic of private lands that dominate the American landscape. Farm and ranch country holds the key to recovery for many species. Voluntary incentive-based programmes funded through the Farm Bill - like the Conservation Reserve Program - have proven instrumental in supporting waterfowl and grassland birds. Yet CRP acreage has fallen by half since 2007, and policy protections for wetlands have been eroded in recent years.
Public support for nature remains strong. Nearly 100 million Americans now identify as birders - more than one in three adults. Birdwatching contributes $279 billion to the U.S. economy, supports 1.4 million jobs, and generates $38 billion in tax revenue. Hunters and anglers are among birds’ staunchest allies, with a majority reporting strong interest in bird conservation. Birds bring people together - and protecting them brings broad social and economic benefits.
Looking Ahead
In the shadow of loss, the *State of the Birds* report offers a vision for renewal. It calls for expanding international partnerships to protect migratory routes, scaling up investment in habitat restoration, defending science-based policy protections, and empowering Indigenous leadership and local stewardship. Crucially, it calls for immediate action to save Tipping Point species before they fall beyond recovery.
We already know what works. We’ve seen birds return when wetlands are restored, fires are reintroduced to long-suppressed forests, and grasslands are allowed to breathe again. But time is not on our side. With climate change adding new layers of threat each year, proactive, well-funded, and inclusive conservation is more important than ever.
This is not just about birds. It is about the future we choose - for ourselves, for our children, and for the living world that sustains us. In a time of rapid change, birds are sounding the alarm. Whether we listen - and act - will shape the next *State of the Birds* report, and the health of the planet for generations to come.
April 2025
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