In 2019 a study published in the journal Science sounded the alarm—showing a net loss of 3 billion birds in North America in the past 50 years. Forests alone lost 1 billion birds. Grassland bird populations collectively declined by 53%, or another 720 million birds.
Also in 2019, the National Audubon Society announced a groundbreaking climate report, Survival by Degrees: 389 Bird Species on the Brink. It showed that two-thirds of America’s birds are threatened with extinction from climate change. The 2025 State of the Birds report by the North American Bird Conservation Initiative showed that those losses are continuing, with declines among several bird trend indicators.
That’s the view of North America as a whole. What about Connecticut’s birds?
At the same time as the 2019 reports, the Connecticut Bird Atlas began a project to map all species of birds that occur in the state of Connecticut. Field work took place between spring 2018 and February 2022, and involved nearly a thousand volunteer birders, who submitted more than 600,000 bird observations.
Join us to learn more about the Connecticut Bird Atlas and the overall plight of birds in North America. Dr Min Huang and Craig Repasz will outline key findings and show us how we can work collectively to bend the bird curve of many of our cherished birds.
Dr. Min Huang is Research Scientist at UConn and the Migratory Bird Program leader at the Connecticut Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
Craig Repasz is a founder of Lights Out Connecticut and president of the Friends of Stewart B McKinney NWR, an organization devoted to supporting this important refuge. He was president of the New Haven Bird Club, the conservation chair of the Connecticut Ornithological Association, and the volunteer coordinator for the Connecticut Bird Atlas.