According to scientists, the number of birds in North America, since the 1970s, has declined by 3 billion, almost 30% of the continent's entire population.
Male Cardinal photo by BarrytheBirder
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says that in the case of Baltimore Orioles, as an example, populations have been declining throughout their range with Canada experiencing over a 3% loss per year (resulting in a cumulative loss of 24 percent) between 1966 and 2010; this according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey.
Partners in Flight estimates the global breeding population at 12 million, with 82 percent spending part of the year in the U.S., 18 percent breeding in Canada, and 24 percent wintering in or migrating through Mexico.
Because they breed in North America and winter in Central and South America, Baltimore Orioles are vulnerable to deforestation and habitat loss in many countries; their conservation requires international cooperation.
Spraying insecticides onto trees not only kills off orioles's insect food, but may poison the birds directly. Orioles and many other songbirds migrate at night, when they can become disoriented by lights or rainstorms and crash into tall structures such as skyscrapers and communications towers.
Female Cardinal photo by BarrytheBirder
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BarrytheBirder
