Large Blue Ridge forests may be protecting native songbirds.
Barn swallows like to perch on wires.
Jordan Rutter has been intrigued by avian creatures ever since she and her family began taking birdwatching walks when she was a toddler. Over the years, however, she’s noticed a drop in some species.
So it didn’t come as a surprise when a 2019 study based on community-gathered data and released by Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, American Bird Conservancy and other groups confirmed that 3 billion birds—nearly 30%—had disappeared in the U.S. and Canada between 1970 and 2017. One third, including many species found in the Appalachians, are native to the eastern part of the country. The North American population of dark-eyed Juncos, for instance, has decreased by 168 million, while the number of white-throated sparrows is down by 93 million birds.
“This paper is putting numbers to something that so many of us have already seen,” says Rutter, 30, director of public relations for the Washington, D.C.-based ABC. “This is not so much a wakeup call as a rallying call.”
Of great concern is the widespread loss of easily recognized backyard feeder species.
“That’s also what is the most shocking, because if the common birds are declining, then that means something else is wrong,” says Rutter. “We’re not talking about rare, exotic birds that only specific bird people would know about. They’re birds that people, [even though they] can’t actually name, are familiar with, like barn swallows. Two in five barn swallows have been lost since 1970.”
Rutter cites two “buckets” of causes for the decline: worldwide habitat loss and human actions like building windows.
“Birds don’t have windows on bird nests,” she points out. “Birds don’t grow up knowing to avoid windows.”
But there’s a bright spot: Large swaths of woodlands, like those in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina, might be protecting their winged inhabitants. Although some birds prefer areas with young saplings and open canopy spaces, many like dense, uninterrupted stretches of forest that help keep them safer.
In addition, overwintering birds like cardinals and towhees may fare better than those that fly south in cold weather. Continent-wide radar monitoring reveals a steep 10-year decline in migratory species.
“They face so many more threats,” Rutter says. “They can’t make it in one trip. They don’t fly airplanes that can just go from Point A to Point B. They have to stop and we don’t know where those places are. Then on top of that, they’re encountering power lines and lights at night and predators everywhere.”
Many groups, from ABC to paper companies and private land owners, are working to save regional birds through awareness and smart management practices. Although not technically a songbird—unless, perhaps, you classify its trademark drumming as rap—the woodpecker offers one success story. Nationwide, the strong-billed birds show an 18% population growth since 1970.
“The big picture is that there is hope,” Rutter says. “We have a start in making a positive difference.”
How You Can Help
Jordan Rutter, director of public relations at the American Bird Conservancy, shares these tips for protecting native songbirds:
- Keep cats indoors. “That’s something that takes no money, no level of experience or expertise,” Rutter says. “It’s just about being a responsible pet owner because our pets—dogs too—impact wildlife.”
- Prevent window collisions. Break up the reflection by investing in panes made with UV film or letting your kids paint seasonal images on the glass.
- Grow native plants in your garden to create a “restaurant” that attracts insects. Manmade feeders don’t provide the protein that baby birds need.
The story above appears in our July/August 2020 issue. For more subscribe today or log in to the digital edition with your active BRC+ subscription. Thank you for your support!