(Photograph of a Hudsonian Godwit by Andy Bankert / Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Staff Writer: Emma Bowser
Email: ebowser@umassd.edu
State of the Birds 2025 is one of multiple public reports that uses data collected on birds in the US to assess the nation’s variety of bird species. These reports are published once a year by the U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI).
NABCI is “a coalition of state and federal government agencies, private organizations, and bird initiatives in the United States working to ensure the long-term health of North America’s native bird populations” and was founded in 1999.
According to the State of the Birds 2025, populations of all bird species in the US are currently in decline. This includes species from every mainland and marine habitat, and 229 of these species require conservation efforts as soon as possible.
Over one-third of species are also categorized as moderate or high conservation concern. 112 tipping-point species have lost 50% of their population within the past 50 years, and 42 of those have populations that are at risk without immediate intervention.
You can see a list of all tipping-point species here.
The species that are declining the fastest are grassland and arid land birds.
Since 1970, their populations have decreased by 43% and 41%, respectively. Grassland species tend to be highly specialized and thus suffer when their habitat is threatened by development.
Similarly, aridland bird populations have been decreasing due to a combination of development, fires, droughts, and invasive species.
Out of all bird groups, shorebirds have the most tipping point species. “[A]lmost three-quarters of those declining shorebird species are suffering continued losses despite recent conservation efforts,” according to the report.
Decline is especially prevalent in areas that have been negatively affected by flooding due to climate change, so conservation efforts to protect shorebirds will also help prevent people from being harmed by flooding and rising sea levels in those areas.
In addition to shorebirds, seabirds also face danger caused by flooding when low-lying islands that house their nests are affected. The report states, “Predation of seabirds and their eggs by invasive non-native species, bycatch in fisheries, contaminants such as plastics pollution, habitat loss, and infectious diseases are all additional drivers of declines among seabirds.”
However, policies that reduce bycatch in fisheries and plastics pollution can have a significant positive impact. Half of all Hawaiian bird species are listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), with 20 species currently in decline. However, there are 21 stable populations and 7 increasing populations.
The biggest threat to these species are rising sea levels and rising temperatures, but habitat loss, invasive predators, and disease also have a big impact. Hawaii’s endemic landbirds seem to be affected the most strongly by these factors.
Moreover, forest birds from the Pacific West are experiencing population declines because of wildfire suppression methods and industrial timber management. Bird conservation organizations are encouraging long-term investment in programs that “build ecosystem and community resilience, reconnect people to forests, and integrate and advance tribal priorities.”
Eastern forest birds are threatened by agricultural and residential development and are more severely affected than other eastern birds. According to the report, “More than 80% of birds that breed in eastern forests are migratory, including Baltimore Oriole and Rose-breasted Grosbeak—which spend more than half their year in Central and South America.”
Because of this, it’s important to consider conservation in countries other than the US.
Paul Schmidt, Road to Recovery executive director, leaves important words for the government to act on:
The downward trends in the 2025 State of the Birds report are screaming for all sectors to act with resolve to invest in recovering this important American resource. The 2019 Science Paper “3 Billion Birds Lost” was the clarion call that gave rise to the Road to Recovery and a process that we know can be successful. It is critical that the federal sector lead in the investment to recover these declining populations BEFORE they reach the point of listing as threatened or endangered and thereby costing much more to affect recovery. With ample federal leadership in capacity, the non-governmental sector will be coordinated collaborators in the recovery effort and see this economically valuable resource return to sustainable levels.