Excerpt from this story from EcoWatch:

North American bird populations are plummeting, especially in drylands, grasslands and the Arctic where they have historically been most abundant, new research has found.

The analysis of almost 500 species of NorthAmerican birds indicates that three out of four species are suffering declines across their ranges, with two in three shrinking significantly.

“We’re not just seeing small shifts happening — we’re documenting populations declining where they were once really abundant,” said lead author of the paper Alison Johnston, an ecological statistician who was formerly with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and is now director of the Centre for Research into Ecological & Environmental Modelling at Scotland’s University of St. Andrews, as the Cornell Chronicle reported. “Locations that once provided ideal habitat and climate for these species are no longer suitable. I think this is indicative of more major shifts happening for the nature that’s around us.”

Of the species the researchers examined, 83 percent were losing more of their populations in places they were most plentiful.

The team at the Lab of Ornithology analyzed birdwatchers’ observations of 36 million birds shared in the lab’s eBird program, as well as environmental variables derived from satellite images of 495 North American bird species from 2007 to 2021.

“We’ve known for several years that a lot of bird species in North America have been declining. With this study, we were aiming to understand in much finer spatial resolution where birds were declining and where they might be increasing. Rather than having a range-wide trend to see if a species is going up or down, we want to know where it is going up and down,” Johnston said, as reported by The Guardian.

The stark findings followed the recent United States’ State of the Birds 2025 report, which found declines in bird species across nearly every biome in the country, the Cornell Chronicle reported.

The research team said additional studies would be necessary to explain the causes of the declines, with populations falling by over 10 percent annually in some areas. Habitat changes and global heating were posited as the main theoretical causes, but the researchers ultimately didn’t know, Johnston said.

The research featured recent trends in bird populations at scales of 16.78 square miles — the smallest ever attempted for a study covering such a big geographic area.

An eastern black rail, among the most elusive birds a biologist can study, walks through marsh grass.

I mean, look at this little guy, he's just a fluffy loaf with a big beak

He just hangs out in his nest being cute and getting fed. Occasionally, he plays with a stick (see above).

He's very talkative when his folks come round to feed him.

He can't fly yet but makes some good effort stretching his big floofy wings

Here's the link to watch!

  Get to know your bird organizations:

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

The Cornell Lab provides quite a number of data-driven apps and repositories, with many of the contributions through citizen science (birders like you and me):

eBird (website and mobile app) This has become the de facto app and website for submitting bird sightings. It's also great for researching birding hotspots all around the world. The website offers a great deal more information and functionality than the app (such as uploading photos to accompany your sightings, and providing you with your own central sightings hub complete with maps), so using them in tandem is the best strategy. All rare sightings are reviewed for accuracy by qualified volunteers.  

Merlin (mobile app) This is the app that gets a lot of press due to its ease of entry to the world of birdwatching. Hit the 'record' button and it will listen for bird calls and suggest species. It does a decent job of that. You can also upload photos of birds to see if they match anything in the database. Note however, that it has developed a bit of a reputation for frustrating ornithologists due to false positives that novices might not catch, suggesting rare birds that wouldn't be anywhere nearby, and thus tainting the eBird data.  

All About Birds Cornell's bird guide; search by species and it will provide a great deal of information. There's a lot of clicking involved (there's an Overview tab, an ID info tab, a Life History tab, a Maps tab), instead of the info being presented on a single scrollable page, but I enjoy their 'Cool Facts' section.  

Macaulay Library This is Cornell's media library (photos, videos, audio). When a photo or audio clip is submitted through eBird, it will then show up here in the archives, along with any additional information that the photographer might have included (e.g., how many are in the photo, is it male or female, is it foraging). The library has been operating since 1929, and has over 60 million pieces of media. The information included in the library helps to power the Merlin app, providing more photographs and audio clips for comparison purposes.  

eBird Status and Trends data visualizer Using the eBird data to track bird population increases and declines, as well as possible geographic shifts. The visualizer provides heat maps superimposed on a globe, and you can hit the 'play' button to see how things shift throughout the year.  

Feeder Watch This is a backyard counting project (in conjunction with Birds Canada) that is roughly the same as eBird, but for bird feeders and backyards. Participants spend two consecutive days per week (or as much as they can) watching to see who shows up, and you can compare your data to your neighbours. The data goes back decades, and you can use a few different visualizations to see trends.  

Bird Academy As Cornell is a university, they offer online classes. They range from the simple (eBird essentials; Free), to the more complex (Ornithology: Complex Bird Biology; $240 USD; 100+ hours to complete).