← Daily Dose The Quieter Dawn — Daily Dose No. 083
Daily Dose  /  October 9, 2026  /  North American Birds

The Quieter Dawn

Since 1970 the United States and Canada have lost nearly three in every ten breeding birds. Not rare species, mostly: sparrows, warblers, blackbirds and finches, the common birds of backyards and roadsides.

2.9billion

fewer breeding birds across North America between 1970 and 2017 (95% CI 2.7–3.1 bn): −28.8% of the starting population, from about 10.1 bn to 7.2 bn birds, across 529 species. Rosenberg et al., Science 2019

For every 100 birds in 1970……29 are gone (outlined)
01 · The spectrum

Grasslands lost half their birds

Population change by breeding biome, 1970–2017. Every land biome declined; only wetlands gained.

Wetlands +13.0% Coasts −15.0% Aridlands −17.0% Eastern forest −17.4% Forest generalists −18.1% Habitat generalists −23.1% Arctic tundra −23.4% Western forest −29.5% Boreal forest −33.1% Grassland −53.3% −60% −40% −20% 0% +20%
02 · Fifty years

Waterfowl rose while the rest fell

Population index by group, 1970 = 100. Wetland birds are the one group that grew.

50 100 150 156 Waterfowl 113 Wetland birds 71 All 529 species 63 Shorebirds 47 Grassland birds 37 Introduced species 1970 = 100 2017
−13.6%Spring migration measured by 143 NEXRAD weather radars fell 13.6% (±9.1%) between 2007 and 2017, an independent check that agrees with the ground surveys.

Waterfowl rose +56% after decades of wetland protection funded largely by hunters and the Duck Stamp. Grassland birds fell −53%, and the ten introduced species (house sparrow, starling…) fell −63%.

03 · Where the birds went

Over a billion lost from forests alone

Net change in breeding birds by biome, millions, 1970–2017.

−600M −400M −200M Grassland −717.5 Boreal forest −500.7 Forest generalists −482.2 Habitat generalists −417.3 Eastern forest −166.7 Western forest −139.7 Arctic tundra −79.9 Aridlands −35.6 Coasts −6.1 Wetlands +20.6

More than 90% of the total loss comes from just 12 families, among them sparrows, warblers, blackbirds and finches. Of 529 species, 303 (57%) are declining.

04 · The toll each year

Cats and windows kill birds by the billion

Estimated birds killed each year in the U.S. by direct human-linked causes (range of published estimates).

1 bn 2 bn 3 bn 4 bn Free-roaming cats · Loss, Will & Marra 2013 1.3 bn – 4.0 bn Building & window strikes · Loss et al. 2014 365M – 988M Vehicle collisions · Loss, Will & Marra 2014 89M – 340M

Annual, U.S.-only kill estimates. Not directly comparable with the 50-year net loss: populations also respond to habitat loss, pesticides and the insects birds eat.

05 · The stakes

What is at risk

Many species are past half their numbers, and a lot of people are watching them go.

112

U.S. "Tipping Point" species that have lost more than half their populations in 50 years. 42 are on red alert.

State of the Birds 2025
96M

Americans who watched birds in 2022, 35% of everyone aged 16 and over.

USFWS 2022
$107.6B

What U.S. birders spent on their pursuit in 2022: binoculars, seed, travel.

USFWS 2022
06 · What you can do

Most of the toll happens close to home

Low-rise buildings and houses account for nearly all window deaths. That puts much of the fix in ordinary hands.

Break up the glassDot or screen windows on the outside (gaps under 5 cm). About 44% of building strikes happen at homes.
Keep cats indoorsUnowned cats do most of the killing, but owned cats outdoors add to a 1.3–4.0 billion yearly toll.
Plant nativeNative plants feed the insects that most songbirds raise their chicks on. Fewer pesticides help too.
Count themBreeding Bird Survey, eBird and the Christmas Bird Count volunteers produced the data behind this page.
Share X WhatsApp LinkedIn Reddit

Get it in your inbox

Like this? Get a new data story in your inbox every morning.