North America's bird population is shrinking at a terrifying rate — and windmills have nothing to do with it

North America's bird population is in a swan dive.
The number of birds across the continent has fallen by about 2.9 billion since 1970, experts estimate in a report published Thursday in Science. That's about a 30 percent reduction in their populations, marking what National Audubon Society President David Yarnold is calling a "a full-blown crisis."
Ornithologists' first reliable estimates of bird populations begin in 1970, and stem from volunteer surveys of amateur birdwatchers, The New York Times writes. Researchers used that data to estimate 529 bird species populations between 2006 and 2015, finding a remarkable decline largely among the most common species of birds across North America. In fact, 90 percent of the loss seems to come from dramatic reductions in finches, sparrows, warblers, and other everyday species.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A bit of ornithological good news did come out of the survey: Waterfowl and other wetland birds saw big population growth since the '70s. That's because "recreational waterfowl hunters ... saw to it that conservation programs and policies were put in place," the study's lead author Ken Rosenburg tells Scientific American. Other birds weren't so lucky, and saw their numbers drop due to habitat loss, insect-killing pesticides, and other climate change-related causes. And due to their irreplaceable positions in every type of biome, this population drop all essentially guarantees "other parts of the ecosystem are also in decline and degradation," Rosenburg continued.
Let's see if President Trump stays worried about bird deaths now that they have nothing to do with green energy.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
June 1 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include Donald Trump's golden comb-over, brain drain in America, and a new TACO presidential seal.
-
5 cartoons about the TACO trade
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on America's tariffs, Vladimir Putin waiting for taco Tuesday, and a new presidential seal
-
A city of culture in the high Andes
The Week Recommends Cuenca is a must-visit for those keen to see the 'real Ecuador'
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read