A team led by Alison Johnston published a study on May 1 2025, revealing the 75% decline in North American bird populations.

In North America, birds are pretty common, they live practically everywhere in the United States, needless to say they are very essential to local ecosystems. They serve as predators, prey, and they can even help pollinate plants. They can also serve as entertainment, as many people enjoy birdwatching and exploring the behaviors of birds.

 A recently published study has found that nearly 75% of bird species in North America were declining in places where they were once very active. The study found that 83% of bird species faced significant declines in habitats where they were once very common. “That is a worrying signal,” study author Alison Johnston from the U.K.’s University of St. Andrews told Mongabay. “That’s a wake-up call for us in terms of understanding the extent of damage that we’re having on the natural world.” It’s clear that this is a very serious issue especially with the consequences that it could present to environments in the future. James J. Giacomo from the American Bird Conservancy says that “This new analysis helps us turn that alarm into action by pinpointing where declines are happening within species’ ranges,”

Previous studies also warned that the population would decrease. Since 1970, North America has lost more than 25% of its breeding birds and until now it is difficult to pinpoint the locations that most needed response. The lead author Alison Johnston, an ornithologist and ecological statistician at the University of St Andrews, told AFP. “We have known for a long time that bird populations are declining,” She says “What we aimed to do here was to look at better population trends in much more detail,” she said — data that is “a lot more tailored for conservation decisions and understanding what we can actually do on the ground.” 

Birds that breed in grasslands and drylands are facing the most amount of trouble because ecosystems in these areas are sensitive to habitat destruction and climate change.

The situation may not seem as bad as it does. While in the big picture, 75% of bird species are in decline, nearly every species shows both gain and loss. It suggests that some areas may offer refuge. “Areas where species are increasing where they’re at low abundance may be places where conservation has been successful and populations are recovering, or they may point to locations where there may be potential for recovery,” said Johnston.