When We Restore Forests, We Also Preserve Bird Habitats
Lands vital for climate resilience and the forestry industry are also critical habitats for declining bird species, offering a rare opportunity to align conservation with ecosystem services and secure a resilient future for both birds and people.
Introduction
Birds are more than mere symbols of seasonal change or nature’s background music; they are vital indicators of ecological health. When bird populations decline, it not only threatens their survival but also signals more fundamental problems within ecosystems integral to the survival of all species, including ours. In recent years, scientists have sounded the alarm about a sharp and widespread drop in bird numbers across North America. According to a 2019 study published in the journal Science, nearly 3 billion birds have vanished from the United States and Canada since 1970.
“Birds are literally our canary in the coal mine,” said Jim Giocomo, the central region director of American Bird Conservancy, to the Chicago Tribune. “The bird needs the same stuff we do, but reacts to changes in the environment faster.”
What is particularly worrisome is the fact that not only are rare and endangered birds being lost, but common species have endured significant losses as well, pointing to a broader unraveling of ecological systems, raising concerns for both biodiversity and human well-being. The study reveals that more than 90 percent of the losses “can be attributed to 12 bird families, including sparrows, warblers, blackbirds, and finches.”
In particular, prairie birds are vanishing from U.S. grasslands at an alarming rate: Grassland avian populations have plummeted by 43 percent since 1970—the steepest drop of any bird group. A mix of stressors caused by unchecked human activity—habitat loss, the spread of invasive plants across grasslands, and intensification of drought conditions due to rising global temperatures—has resulted in a substantial decline in the prairie bird population.
But new research is providing a path forward—one that doesn’t force a choice between environmental protection and human needs. Scientists are now utilizing advanced mapping and population data to identify areas where conservation efforts can achieve multiple goals simultaneously: preserving bird species, protecting climate-critical ecosystems, and supporting human communities, along with natural resources such as clean water and flood control. This integrated approach offers a robust framework for environmental stewardship in a time of mounting pressures. By aligning conservation with the preservation of ecosystem services, we can build a more resilient future for birds as well as ourselves.
Sounding the Alarm: Common Bird Species Are in Decline
The findings of the 2019 study are alarming, indicating sweeping declines across virtually all species reviewed, with nearly 3 billion breeding adult birds lost across all biomes. Cornell Lab director John Fitzpatrick and study coauthor Peter P. Marra, dean of the Earth Commons Institute at Georgetown University, described it as “a staggering loss that suggests the very fabric of North America’s ecosystem is unraveling,” in a New York Times op-ed.
The loss of familiar species at a rapid pace is particularly concerning. Birds like the barn swallow, white-throated sparrow, and common grackle, once ubiquitous across North America, have experienced steep population declines since the 1970s. These are species that were once so numerous they hardly registered as conservation concerns. Their widespread loss is deeply unsettling because it suggests that even the most resilient avian species are no longer immune to the human-caused pressures of habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change.
The disappearance of these common birds foreshadows grave consequences, not just for individual species but for the stability and functioning of entire ecosystems. Birds play essential roles in seed dispersal, pest control, pollination, and the cycling of nutrients—services that benefit agriculture, forestry, and even human health. Their absence can trigger cascading ecological effects, destabilizing food webs and diminishing the resilience of natural systems.
“The sheer number of bird species that have become extinct is of course a big part of the extinction crisis but what we also need to focus on is that every species has a job or function within the environment and therefore plays a really important role in its ecosystem,” said Dr. Tom Matthews, an environmental scientist at the University of Birmingham and lead author of a 2024 study that sheds light on the dire consequences of the “ongoing biodiversity crisis.”
The loss of widespread species also means fewer opportunities for people to connect with nature in everyday life, thus weakening the public’s sense of environmental responsibility and stewardship. Indeed, the decline of common birds is not a niche concern—it’s a warning signal that the natural systems we rely on are faltering, with consequences that reach far beyond the avian world.
On the Edge of Survival: ‘Tipping Point’ Species
The 2025 State of the Birds report states that roughly one-third of bird species in the United States are considered to be “high or moderate concern due to low populations, declining trends, or other threats.” In total, 229 species fall into this category, signaling the need for urgent and strategic planning to prevent further losses and support population recovery. The high concern birds have been categorized as “tipping point species” in the report.
The tipping point species are birds that have lost more than half of their numbers since the mid-1970s. These species are at risk of crossing thresholds beyond which recovery becomes unlikely or impossible. Many require targeted scientific research to understand what is driving their decline, along with immediate, voluntary, collaborative, and proactive conservation measures grounded in land stewardship. Researchers have identified 112 tipping point avian species, including the greater sage-grouse, lesser prairie chicken, Allen’s hummingbird, Florida scrub-jay, and golden-cheeked warbler.
Duck populations, once considered a success story in previous “State of the Birds” reports due to their steady increase since 1970, have also begun to decline, according to the 2025 report. This shift underscores the fragility of conservation gains and highlights the need for ongoing vigilance and adaptive strategies in wildlife management.
“In past State of the Birds reports, waterfowl and waterbirds were the only groups that showed population gains, with waterfowl showing the greatest increases. … But today this legacy is in jeopardy. Loss of wetlands and grasslands is accelerating in key regions for waterfowl, and wetland protections are being weakened. Environmental and land-use changes are driving recent duck and marsh bird declines in many areas,” pointed out the 2025 report.
Unifying Human and Wildlife Needs: First, Get Good Data
Despite these alarming trends, the report offers clear evidence that targeted actions can reverse these declines. Positive outcomes—from the restoration of coastal habitat, conservation-focused ranching, the regeneration of forests, and the relocation of seabirds—show that proactive strategies and sustained investment bring results. Programs focused on private lands and voluntary partnerships with farmers, ranchers, and other landowners represent some of the most promising opportunities for the rapid recovery of bird populations.
Efforts to protect birds don’t just help wildlife—they also yield tangible benefits for people. Conservation policies enhance the health of working lands, purify water sources, and create landscapes that are more resilient to climate-driven disasters such as fires, floods, and droughts. Birds also enjoy widespread public support, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identifying some 96 million Americans as birdwatchers, based on 2022 figures. Their enthusiasm has fueled a growing nature economy, generating $279 billion in economic activity during 2022 through bird-related travel, the sale of related equipment, and other services provided.
A groundbreaking study has revealed that flood control and measures to protect clean water, and carbon storage can also benefit bird species, including those experiencing steep population declines. The research, published in the journal Ecosystem Services in June 2025, was conducted by scientists from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
The study examines tipping point species, such as the cerulean warbler (Setophaga cerulea), which exemplify the dual benefits of forest conservation. This migratory bird, once common in the eastern U.S., has been experiencing a steady decline due to habitat fragmentation and loss.
Among the most compelling findings is that 91 percent of the entire U.S. population of the cerulean warbler, a songbird classified as a declining species, is found in forests that not only support the timber industry but also serve as vital carbon sinks. The research underscores the potential for overlapping benefits when ecosystems are managed to serve both human and wildlife needs. However, the researchers also caution against assuming that all conservation can be achieved through overlapping goals.
“We all know that nature provides us with many benefits—biodiversity, climate regulation, recreation, and many others—but until now, we haven’t been able to demonstrate where those benefits coincide in space,” said lead author of the study, Dr. Rachel Neugarten, formerly of Cornell University and now with WCS, according to a May 2025 press release by the nonprofit. “Given the limited resources for conservation, this information is critical for helping decision makers protect our natural heritage. The paper shows that win-win-wins for biodiversity, climate, and people are possible but not guaranteed.”
Despite the many coordination opportunities identified, the 2025 study published in Ecosystem Services also reveals gaps. Birds that inhabit arid lands and wetlands in the southwestern United States were notably underrepresented in the ecosystem service maps. These findings emphasize that not all ecosystems offering high biodiversity are also high in the human-valued services measured.
“While win-win situations do exist, we should be careful not to generalize about biodiversity and ecosystem service benefits,” said Cornell’s Neugarten, according to the WCS press release. “With limited resources and competing demands for land, we need data-driven approaches to achieve multiple conservation goals simultaneously.”
This insight reinforces the study’s key message: One-size-fits-all conservation does not work. Different habitats provide different types of value, and conserving one service, like carbon storage, doesn’t automatically protect all species or all biodiversity.
Mapping Nature’s Benefits
Using data from the eBird Status and Trends project by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, researchers of the June 2025 study mapped 11 distinct ecosystem services across the U.S. They compared them with the distributions of bird populations. The goal was to identify where human needs and avian conservation priorities intersect.
The results were striking. Roughly 75 percent of forest-dwelling birds are well-represented in these high-priority ecosystem service areas. These zones—where the value to both humans and birds is high—include iconic landscapes such as the Appalachian Mountains, New England, the Ozarks, and the Sierra and Cascade mountain ranges. One particularly critical area highlighted is the southeastern United States, where forests simultaneously provide economic value through timber and offer essential habitat for bird species facing population declines.
“This study is especially timely, given recent reports of continued, if not worsening, population declines in North American birds,” noted Amanda Rodewald, coauthor and faculty director of the Center for Avian Population Studies at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “Now more than ever, we must find ways to conserve birds as part of broader efforts to protect the environment—in this case, safeguarding the ecosystem services that support human health and well-being,” stated the WCS press release.
The research demonstrates that with careful planning, protecting a relatively small amount of additional land beyond what is needed for basic ecosystem benefits can make a significant difference for wildlife conservation. For example, conserving approximately 36 percent of the world’s land area provides 90 percent of nature’s benefits to humanity, and by adding just 8 percent more land, excluding Antarctica, we could protect the habitats needed to support a wide range of species.
Forests are vital because they deliver numerous ecological benefits simultaneously—they purify the air, store carbon, regulate water, and provide habitats for countless animals. As a result, forest species tend to be better represented in areas prioritized for ecosystem services than species belonging to other habitats.
However, this also means we need to be careful to protect areas beyond those key ecosystem service zones to ensure that all kinds of wildlife get the protection they need. Unfortunately, current conservation efforts likely fall short. A 2022 study published in the journal Ecography found that less than half of the top areas important for birds are actually protected today, regardless of how those areas are identified. This underscores the need for better planning and more investment to safeguard the full diversity of bird species.
A Call for Integrated Conservation: Implications for Policy and Planning
As Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Elizabeth Kolbert put it in her 2014 book, “[W]e are in the midst of the Sixth Extinction.” Recent studies and ongoing research should inform policies that guide the protection of birds and their native habitats. As policymakers grapple with strategies to address climate change, land use, and biodiversity loss, researchers can provide a road map for making more informed decisions. By identifying “hot spots” where ecological and human needs align, it may be possible to get more conservation “bang for the buck.”
Strategic land-use planning is one example. Prioritizing protection for forested regions that are both carbon-dense and species-rich delivers multiple benefits under a single policy umbrella. The U.S. Forest Service and the Nature Conservancy would benefit from using this kind of data to inform their conservation investments.
Ultimately, a sustainable future is one in which biodiversity and human well-being are no longer viewed as separate goals. Protecting nature safeguards the essential “ecosystem services” that sustain human health and quality of life—clean air, fresh water, food security, climate stability, and more. By recognizing the intimate connection between ecosystems and human communities, we can envision solutions that help both. Conservation is not just about preserving wildlife for its own sake; it’s about ensuring a livable planet for future generations. Birds, in particular, serve as a visible and measurable barometer of environmental health—when their populations decline, it’s a clear sign that broader ecological systems are under stress.
Advances in mapping, data collection, and ecological modeling now allow policymakers, landowners, and communities to make informed decisions that reflect both environmental and societal priorities. Coordinated efforts that align biodiversity protection with climate adaptation, economic sustainability, and public health can create ripple effects that extend well beyond the outcomes of conservation.
Climate change is accelerating. Land is becoming increasingly contested. The only way for both humanity and wildlife to thrive is to recognize the interconnectedness of ecosystems. This means reimagining land use, development, and conservation as interdependent, where the health of one supports the vitality of the other. From forest corridors that sequester carbon and shelter threatened birds to wetland restorations that buffer storm surges and boost biodiversity, integrated conservation strategies offer some of the clearest paths forward. In protecting nature, we protect ourselves.
