A newly published study has found that nearly 75% of bird species in North America are sharply declining across their ranges, and eight in 10 plummeting in the very areas where they’re thought to be thriving and plentiful. Nearly every species, 97%, had gains and losses in their populations depending on the location, the study found. The researchers used birdwatcher citizen science data from eBird, an online database where birders can record checklists of all the birds they see at a particular place and time. The researchers analyzed observations from 36 million checklists from 2007 to 2021 that included nearly 500 bird species in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Rather than just look at population declines for each species, the study identifies specific areas where populations are either declining or increasing, which paints a more comprehensive picture of population trends and highlights areas where conservation actions could be focused. While three-quarters of all species declined across their ranges, the study found that 83% of bird species experienced significant population decreases in areas where they were most abundant and where habitat is considered most suitable for them — a counterintuitive finding that surprised the researchers. This pattern of decline was pronounced for birds breeding in grasslands and arid lands. Birds that breed in the Arctic and northern latitudes showed the highest declines. The researchers posit that the warming climate, especially in the tundra, could be impacting breeding habitats there for many of the species, driving the declines. “That is…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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