‘State of the Birds’ reports trouble in U.S. species

A new report examining bird populations across the U.S. has found dozens of species are in trouble. The North American Bird Conservation Initiative, “a forum of government agencies, private organizations and bird initiatives,” compiled the “2025 State of the Birds” report, which examined more than 700 bird species in the U.S. Of these, experts listed 229 that were of high or moderate concern. They placed some 42 species on “red alert” due to their conservation status, including the greater prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) due to its low genetic diversity and lack of connectivity between populations. “Bird populations are continuing to decline, and one-third of species in the U.S. require urgent conservation attention,” report co-author Amanda Rodewald, an ecologist at Cornell University, told Scientific American. The report also found drought in parts of the country has hit many duck species hard.

Read more at Scientific American.