Birds face myriad threats: backyard cats and wind turbines, glass windows and diminishing food sources, a disappearing habitat, and light pollution that impacts migration. This informative account begins by sharing the disturbing results of a seminal study published in 2019: Since 1970, 3 billion birds—30 percent of bird populations—have disappeared. It’s a shocking number, but much of the decline happened quietly, certainly without most of us in the general population taking notice. Chapter by chapter, the narrative examines some of the key threats to birds in greater detail, sharing stories of loss and occasional examples of successful comebacks or species that have thrived. It also discusses what humans as a group and humans as individuals can do, the latter emphasized in the final chapter, “How You Can Help.” The clearly presented information is accompanied by occasional color photographs, with a glossary, source notes, a selected bibliography, and additional resources at volume’s end.  (Age 11 and older)

Birds are disappearing.

Birds are nature's essential workers, and they are crucial members of ecosystems around the world. Hummingbirds pollinate our flowers; cardinals munch on beetles, grasshoppers, and other pests that damage crops; owls eat rodents that can spread disease; vultures clean up roadkill and other waste. Beyond their practical aspects, birds bring us joy through their songs and beautiful feathers.

But since 1970, nearly 30 percent of all birds in the United States and Canada have vanished. Scientists are scrambling to figure out what may be causing such a drastic decline. The answer: humans. City lights and tall glass skyscrapers disorient migrating birds. Domesticated cats prowling outdoors kill billions of birds each year. Pesticides contaminate fish and insects, which are then consumed by birds of prey. And climate change might disrupt and even wipe out feeding grounds for entire species.

Discover the vast impacts birds have on ecosystems, food systems, and human communities, and learn more about what scientists are doing to protect them.

“Never have my astonishment, wonder, and admiration been so stirred as when I have witnessed these birds drop from their course like meteors from heaven.” —Simon Pokagon, Potawatomi tribal leader

“In pushing other species to extinction, humanity is busy sawing off the limb on which it is perched.” — American biologist Paul R. Ehrlich

“There’s something everyone can do in their lives and in their communities to make it a better place for birds and people.” — Gary Langham, chief scientist, National Audubon Society