“Five years ago, most ornithologists had a general sense that birds were declining – more than 3 billion birds lost in the past 50 years. In May 2025 a new expansive study of North American bird population trends showed that bird declines have continued, and in some cases accelerated in recent years.
But this study also did what the previous research couldn’t. Fueled by tens of millions of eBird checklists and sophisticated big-data-crunching technology, it added a geospatial element that provides a deeper look into the dynamics of how these bird declines are playing out. And importantly, it provides clues about where to focus conservation efforts most effectively to turn declines around.”
These were the words that caught my attention as I thumbed through the summer edition of Cornell Lab’s “Living Bird” magazine. Magazines often sit around gathering dust, waiting for that moment when the stars align and free time lands in my lap, giving me a minute to glance through and read the articles that appeal to me. Usually it’s the photos that draw me in, as they did this time as well. But just inside the cover was a compelling introduction to a featured article, an inside look at the State of the Birds, and how each of our eBird lists that we so carefully keep have contributed to the much larger picture. (“As Birds Decline, High-Precision EBird Models Offer a Vision of Hope“, by Gustave Axelson, Cornell Lab Living Bird, Summer 2025)
Take a few minutes to read how your eBird input is making a difference in bird research and conservation. Click here to read the full article.
To read the 2025 State of the Birds report for the United States, click here.
Submitted by Gina Sanders
Photo by Alan Fink