Big picture for birds is not pretty

RELEASE: April 24, 2009 – Volume XLI, No. 17

We’ve all seen the brain-teaser that slowly reveals a big picture piece-by-piece. The winner is the first to guess the picture. Recently, the U.S. Interior Department combined data from several major bird surveys for the first time and revealed the “big picture” for American birds. That picture isn’t pretty.

But it should be. Our country is home to a marvelous diversity of birds. Over 800 native bird species can be found in every conceivable habitat, from deserts to coastal wetlands, from forests to alpine tundra. About 67 are listed by the federal government as endangered or threatened. Another 184 are called “species of conservation concern” because their populations are localized in a few areas, they face higher than normal threats, or they are declining in significant numbers.

It turns out that even birds that were abundant only a few decades ago have experienced sharp declines. In New Jersey, these common birds include the Wood Pewee, Wood Thrush, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, Brown Thrasher, Red Knot and Semipalmated Sandpiper.

The Interior Department’s “State of the Birds” report took data from official surveys conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey, including the annual Breeding Bird Survey. In addition, Interior synthesized data gathered by volunteer citizen scientists, such as the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count, which counted more than 14.5 million birds in 455 counts nationwide in 2007.

The report reinforces two trends: Once abundant birds are showing significant declines, and many endangered birds still face the possibility of extinction.

Grassland birds, including the Eastern Meadowlark, Upland Sandpiper and Henslow’s Sparrow found in New Jersey, have declined by 40 percent over the last 40 years. Birds adapted to arid landscapes are down 30 percent, and oceanic birds like the Northern Gannet, Atlantic Puffin and Black-Legged Kittiwake are down 39 percent.

More than one-third of all federally threatened or endangered bird species occur in Hawaii. Since humans colonized the Hawaiian Islands, 71 species have gone extinct, and at least 10 more have not been seen in more than 40 years and may be extinct.

The combination of factors that lead to the decline in bird populations are specific and unique to each habitat. The report however, identifies several trends that are clearly national in scope, including sprawl and its impact on habitat, pesticides, pollution, invasive plants and animals (including cats) and climate change.

One bright spot in the report reveals hope for the future. This is that habitat preservation is the surest way to protect birds of all species.

Decades of research have proven the value of protecting habitat, and the trend lines for waterfowl populations reinforce its conclusion. With the restoration, conservation and enhancement of 30 million wetland acres nationally, many waterfowl species - including pelicans, herons, egrets, osprey and ducks - have reversed population declines and shown dramatic increases.

Wildlife habitat preservation here in New Jersey should help stem population losses of our birds. But many of our migratory birds have winter homes in Central and South America, habitat also threatened by many of the same factors found in the report.

In order for the “big picture” to be a prettier one for birds in New Jersey and beyond, habitat losses in both their summer and winter homes must be reversed!

Go to the excellent State of the Birds website at www.stateofthebirds.org for detailed information, beautiful photos and a great video. And I hope you will consult New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org, if you would like more information about conserving New Jersey’s precious land and natural resources.

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