Alarming, global decline in bird populations

Alarming, global decline in bird populations.
US and Canada have lost 2.9 billion birds since 1970, study says
By Ashley Strickland, CNN

(CNN) - Bird populations in the United States and Canada have dropped by 29% since 1970, signifying 2.9 billion birds lost in almost 50 years, according to a new study.

The scientists involved in the study warn that like a canary in a coalmine, birds reveal environmental health. This steep loss of bird populations, including some of the most common birds like sparrows and finches, shows that human impacts on the continent's environment mean it can no longer support the wildlife systems it once did.

Almost 90% of the birds lost came from 12 common songbird families like sparrow, blackbirds, warblers, finches and swallows. Shorebirds have also lost one-third of their population, and grassland birds lost more than 720 million, resulting in a 53% population reduction. Forests across North America lost more than 1 billion birds.

The extreme loss matches a similar picture emerging around the globe. The loss of grassland birds in North America is similar to a decline in farmland birds across Europe, according to the study...
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