Bird numbers plunge in U.S. and Canada with people to blame

reuters ^

[Java4Jay]

From grasslands to seashores to forests and backyards, birds are disappearing at an alarming rate in the United States and Canada, with a 29% population drop since 1970 and a net loss of about 2.9 billion birds, scientists said on Thursday.

[Java4Jay]

Most of the losses were not among rare species, but common ones across nearly every bird family and all habitats. They included sparrows, swallows, blackbirds, thrushes, finches, warblers and meadowlarks.

[Paladin2]

Disassemble all of the “sustainable” bird choppers.

[House Atreides]

Too many cats!

[willk]

About the same time frame as the increasing popularity of the domestic cat.

[dp0622]

As long as there’s still chickens and turkeys to eat.

[Mount Athos]

cats

[Ken H]

The answer is => Climate Change.

[Bommer]

They were old birds and just decided to abort their eggs. I mean scrambled they are delicious. Can you blame them?

[madison10]

We have quite a few birds in our yard. We have lots of trees for being in town and a grape vine atop one long fence that the house sparrows love. People keep their yards too immaculate, cutting down too many trees and nesting areas.

[jmacusa]

Bird watching is a hobby of mine. About my favorite is the Kardinal. It was the mascot of my local high school. The varsity cheerleaders uniform was black and red. Man, what a bunch of hotties they were. Any way I digress. This sounds like a serious situation. In regards though blackbirds are pest.

[jmacusa]

Yup. Exactly.

[txnativegop]

ditto

But suggest thinning out the cat population and everyone goes nuts.

[Conserv]

.... if only the damn annoying mockingbird would disappear.

[Fungi]

How did they get the numbers? Did someone count every bird?

[adorno]

Who has been doing the counting, and how were they doing it?

Methinks that this type of research is the same type that goes into global-warming/climate-change. Make up the numbers, and you know that they can’t be disproved.

[HangnJudge]

Deteriorating insect population
Habitat destruction, nicotinamide insecticides

[txnativegop]

I have bird feeders and I have been lucky enough to have a pair of Altamira Orioles that feed from them. I don’t know if they are a pair, but it is only those two.

[gundog]

Be curious to know how many migrate south of the border.

[HangnJudge]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_in_insect_populations

Several studies report what appears to be a substantial decline in insect populations. Some of the insects most affected include bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, dragonflies and damselflies. Anecdotal evidence has been offered of much greater apparent abundance of insects in the 20th century; recollections of the windscreen phenomenon are an example

[lee martell]

Too much Round Up and similar pesticides sprayed all over those tender green shoots many birds like to eat.

Toxified “weeds” + Dirrty Dirt + Tainted H20 = Less insects + amphibians ,worms = Less food for birds.

Ground Nesting birds have to use those now toxified “weeds” for their nests.