Habitat is Vital
Photo by Andrew Weitzel CC BY 2.0
The 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report was presented on March 13th at the 90th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference. This new comprehensive assessment is the result of a project of various organizations within the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI), including the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Sadly, the trend of declining bird populations across the nation continues at a worrisome pace. Key among study findings is that about a third of American birds across the majority of bird groups — and their various habitats — are at high or moderate risk. A landmark study published in the journal Science in 2020 similarly sounded an alert that North American Bird populations were declining — by close to 30% over a fifty year period.
"Study after study has shown that habitat loss and degradation are the primary threats to healthy bird populations. Nothing else comes close," Dr. Gregory S. Butcher, International Migratory Species Coordinator, U. S. Forest Service (now retired). Habitat is much more than a location or place to go; it is an ecosystem that supports life. Biologically diverse natural habitats provide what is vital for the survival of a species: food, water, shelter, clean air, and physical space to carry out life's functions, including reproduction. When habitats shrink, become fragmented, are polluted, or destroyed, species lose their homes — they lose access to critical ecosystem resources necessary for survival.
