Last week the federal government issued a report on the status of the nation’s 800 wild bird species. In brief, there is news both good and bad. Good news first: Many wetland bird species such as ducks, egrets, herons, Osprey, and pelicans are doing well, in some cases showing dramatic increases in numbers. This is attributed to conservation efforts by both the government (DUCK STAMPS!!) and private organizations (Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl, Pheasants Forever, among others). These efforts have resulted in restoration and conservation of over 30 million wetland acres. On the other side, grassland bird species have declined 40 percent during the past 40 years. Bird species using arid land are down 30 percent. Coastal shorebird species are cause for worry. Species dependent on U. S. oceans are down 39 percent. To read the report go to http://www.stateofthebirds.org   (In the photo are Northern Shovelers, Green-winged Teal, and American Wigeon.) Â

This entry was posted on Monday, March 23rd, 2009 at 4:23 pm and is filed under Bird conservation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.