A new study found that the US and Canada have lost more than one in four birds in the past 50 years. Since 1970, the bird population in the US and Canada has reduced by 29%, almost 3 billion birds.

A study published in the journal Science revealed that the massive reduction, involving hundreds of species from backyard songbirds to long-distance migrants, is signaling a widespread ecological crisis. The results show tremendous losses across diverse groups of birds and habitats from meadowlarks to swallows to sparrows.

The study notes that birds are indicators of environmental health, signaling that natural systems across the US and Canada are now being so severely impacted that they can no longer support the same robust wildlife populations. Of the 3 billion birds lost, 90 percent belong to 12 birds families including sparrows, warblers, finches, and swallow, which are all common widespread species that play influential roles in food webs and ecosystems.

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7 Simple Actions To Help Birds

1. Make Windows Safer
2. Keep Cats Indoors
3. Reduce Lawn, Plant Natives
4. Avoid Pesticides
5. Drink Coffee That's Good For Birds
6. Protect Our Planet From Plastics
7. Watch Birds, Share What You See