The State of the Birds in the U.S.A.

A Third of U.S. Birds Need Conservation Action

About a third of all American bird species are of high or moderate concern due to low populations, declining trends, or other threats. These 229 species should be prioritized in conservation planning to protect existing populations and build toward population recovery.

Birds identified as Tipping Point species have lost more than 50% of their populations in the last 50 years. Tipping Point species include birds that need focused scientific research to identify drivers of decline, and immediate help through voluntary and proactive conservation action.

Circle graph showing the state of the birds in the U.S.: 16% of species are listed as high concern (42 species are on the red tipping point list, 37 on the orange tipping point list, and 33 on the yellow tipping point list), 16% of species are of moderate concern (71 watch list species, 46 common birds in steep decline), and 68% of bird are of low concern (489 species)
Findings from the updated Avian Conservation Assessment Database (ACAD), a resource produced by more than 150 science and conservation groups in the Partners in Flight network.

42 Tipping Point Species—Red Alert

Birds with perilously low populations and steep declining trends

37 Tipping Point Species—Orange Alert

Birds showing long-term population losses and accelerated declines in recent decades

33 Tipping Point Species—Yellow Alert

Birds with long-term population losses, but relatively stable recent trends

71 Watch List Species

Birds that are vulnerable due to small or declining populations, limited distributions, and high threats, but haven’t yet experienced steep population losses

46 Common Birds in Steep Decline

Birds with still-abundant populations (such as sparrows and blackbirds) that have nevertheless experienced large losses

489 Low Concern Species

About half of bird species in the low-concern category have experienced long-term population declines, but fall short of the thresholds for priority conservation planning

Habitat-Obligate Birds Are Indicators of Habitat Health

As with previous State of the Birds reports, this 2025 edition uses population trends of habitat-obligate bird species—or species that depend upon a single habitat for survival—as indicators of the overall health of their respective habitats. Key data sources include the U.S. Geological Survey’s Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird Status and Trends project, National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Counts, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s waterfowl and woodcock surveys, and shorebird surveys conducted by Manomet Conservation Sciences and Environment and Climate Change Canada. Together, these datasets reveal bird species with significant declines over the past 50 years, identify where declines are occurring, and inform urgent conservation actions to protect vulnerable bird populations and their habitats.

How to Read the Charts in This Report

The large number in the middle of the circle (XX%) denotes long-term population change of a bird group from 1970 to 2020. Black, white, and red sections indicate the number of increasing, stable, and declining bird species in the group, respectively.