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Act Now to Save Birds A changing climate presents another growing threat to birds,
CONSERVATION Three billion birds have vanished from North America
in the past 50 years. This is the alarming conclusion of
a study conducted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology,
the American Bird Conservancy, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center,
and other institutions.
The study confirms what many birders and scientists—including
CZS’s curator of birds, Tim Snyder—have long suspected. But the data
still shocks, said Snyder. Also troubling is the finding that every species
of bird is impacted—even common species that frequent your yard
and parks such as sparrows, robins, warblers, and blackbirds.
What is going on? Many things, said Snyder, who chairs the Associa-
tion of Zoos and Aquarium’s Passerines (Songbird ) Taxon Advisory
Group. As always, habitat loss plays a major role. “But what’s most
telling to me, is that the insect population is plummeting,” said Snyder.
“For example, if you turn on your porch light today, the number of
insects you will attract will be only a fraction of what it would have
been in 1970.”
Some scientists blame neonicotinoids, the most widely used class
of insecticide, for killing off pollinators and other insects. Since the diets FeederWatch—operated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and
of most birds include insects, fewer insects is bad news for birds.
Furthermore, neonicotinoids are poisonous to birds. Birds that eat
insects, seeds, or plants containing the insecticide, may stop breeding
or have fewer viable offspring. Some birds lose their appetite and delay
migration. When they finally do migrate, their bodies are light and
weak, making it less likely they will reach their destination or survive
the journey.
“Feral and domestic cats are a big drain on wildlife, including birds,”
said Snyder. It’s estimated that more than 500 million birds are killed by
cats every year. If that sounds unbelievable, consider this: A recent
survey by the American Veterinary Medical Association found that
more than 58 million cats are kept as pets in the U.S. “If each cat was to
kill just 12 birds a year,” said Snyder, “that’s hundreds of millions of birds
killed each year.” It’s 696 million dead birds, to be exact. The estimate
doesn’t include birds killed by feral, stray, and barn cats.
said Snyder. For example, unusually warm weather causes trees to
fruit prematurely. When migrating birds arrive in the area, there is
little fruit to eat. Erratic weather is another consequence of a
changing climate that harms birds. In April 2019, said Snyder, a late
snow storm in our area wiped out fruit—such as berries—an
important food source for birds migrating through northern Illinois.
What You Can Do
“If everybody does their little bit, it can make a big difference,”
said Snyder. After all, raptors and waterfowl that were once endan-
gered made comebacks after legislators and the public took action
to save them. Snyder suggests the following:
• Avoid insecticides and control pest problems organically.
• Limit your cat’s access to wild birds and the outdoors.
• Put decals on your windows so birds avoid flying into them.
• Set up a bird feeder, or consider planting serviceberry, native
fruit trees, coneflowers, and other plants that feed birds.
• Leave dead flower heads on plants; birds eat seeds they contain.
• Help scientists track long-term trends in bird populations. Project
Birds Canada—collects data from people who survey birds at
feeders, bird baths, and plantings. For a small fee, they’ll send you a
research kit and a quarterly magazine.
Join us for our annual celebration of World Migratory Bird Day on
Saturday, May 9. Visit CZS.org for more information.
From left to right: Mallard
ducks, American robin,
red-tailed hawk, blue jay
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