3 Billion Birds Lost

A study published September 2019 in the journal Science, found that the population of breeding birds in the US and Canada has dropped by nearly 30% (or 3 billion birds) since 1970.

While there are some discouraging findings about overall bird populations in the study, there are encouraging examples of how galvanized human effort can work to bring back our birds. Examples include Raptors (+200%), Waterfowl (+56%) and Woodpeckers (+18%).

You can indeed make a difference – in your own backyard. Here are a few actions you can take to help #SaveTheSongBirds:

  • Make Windows Safer for Birds: The windows in our homes and offices can be hazardous for birds. Birds cannot readily distinguish the presence of a pane of transparent glass from an unobstructed space or passageway and often fly into window panes causing injury or death. Click here to learn how you can make windows safer for birds
  • Keep Cats Indoors: Cats are a danger to song birds, and for that reason you should never allow your kitty outside with free access to birds and other wildlife. 
  • Plant Native Plants: Scientists have identified habitat loss as the biggest reason for the decline in bird populations. Learn how you can certify your yard HERE
  • Drink Bird-Friendly Coffee: You may not realize it, but the coffee you drink can have an impact on bird populations. Look for bird-friendly, shade-grown coffees and you’ll be helping to preserve native forests birds depend on for survival. Check out Birds and Beans HERE
  • Pesticides: The use of pesticides in your yard can harm birds both directly (through poisoning) and indirectly (by reducing their natural food supply). We encourage you to be mindful of this when maintaining your lawn. Additionally, our WBU seed blends do not contain fillers, which means a reduction in pesticide use across thousands of acres of crops.
  • Watch Birds: The simple act of watching the birds in your own backyard can help. When we are more aware of the creatures around us, we care more and do more to protect them. Wild Birds Unlimited can help you enjoy the birds attract to feeders in your own backyard. We are also proud to create opportunities for bird watching in millions of backyards across North America through our sponsorship of the Great Backyard Bird Count and Project FeederWatch. You can also count and report the birds you see anywhere with eBird.
  • Plastics: Our WBU EcoTough and other recycled plastic products make use of plastics that would otherwise end up in landfills. Reducing the amount of single use plastic we use everyday would benefit not just birds but a huge variety of species across the planet including us 

We encourage you to spread the word about how we can all help. Check out this website with some great points about the positive economic and environmental impacts of birds. Helping birds is important to EVERYONE! Use the hashtags #SaveTheSongBirds #bringbirdsback on social media to help spread the word!

You can also check out Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Seven Simple Actions to Help Birds HERE

*The study is a collaboration between avian and conservation scientists, led by Ken Rosenberg from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and American Bird Conservancy.