Common Yellowthroat by Barbara Houston/ Audubon Photography Awards

The Bird Conservation Network (Chicago Audubon Society is a member) has today released a comprehensive study of the population trends of the breeding birds of the Chicago Region. It contains some conclusions which may surprise you. The release of the results of our 22-year survey from BCN notes: “We live in an impressive green space that is special for a metropolitan area, and the data collected is a treasure trove of information for land managers, researchers, and conservation partners.” Chris Wood, Project Director for eBird, called us a "pioneer in using targeted surveys to better understand birds in a region."

Findings show than 56% of the breeding birds surveyed are stable or expanding compared to 37% elsewhere in Illinois. This reflects the efforts of land managers, conservation organizations, supportive legislators, and ordinary citizens to preserve and restore habitats that our birds need to thrive. At the same time, many of our traditional breeding species are in decline, showing that there is much more work to do.

Our region is very important for quite a few birds of conservation concern. Many are doing very well here (thanks in part to efforts of the region’s public land managers), but others are declining.

See the trends for all our local birds at bcnbirds.org/trends21.

Read a report with analysis about what the trends might mean here.