Welcome

Photo of Western Tanager courtesy of Anna Hartwick

The birds are calling.

Will you answer?

3 Billion Birds Less

in North America

In only five decades, bird populations have decreased by 29% in North America. This population decline means that ⅓ of birds that existed in 1970 do not exist today, according to a study published in Science. As with the buffalo and passenger pigeon, humans are severely damaging bird populations.


The problem extends beyond North America. According to Cornell's All About Birds, 40% of the world’s bird species are in decline. Birds need immediate attention if they are to successfully recover from these decades of damage. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring taught millions that our actions as humans impact birds, and that is still true today. Birds are impacted by things from oil rigs to your own home. They need your help if they are going to survive in this human world.

This website is the product of a Girl Scout Gold Award on bird conservation; its purpose is to teach homeowners easy ways they can reduce bird fatalities. Learn the issues, how you can help, and more!


Why Are Birds Disappearing?


These are many threats to birds, including: habitat loss, cats, collisions with building glass, oil rigs, window turbines, cars, and even poison!

Their combined pressure results in an annual estimate of 3,324,184,012 bird fatalities (not counting habit loss, which would be difficult to measure), according to US Fish and Wildlife Service.

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Cats and bird-window collisons are two of the main reasons for this major population decline.

Photo Courtesy of Carlie Hartwick.

The Solution: You

Chances are, you have at least one of these things: a cat, a window, or a backyard. And if you have one of these things, that means you can help birds!

Make sure to visit our Cats, Windows, and Planting Native pages to figure out how convenient changes can make your home more bird-friendly.

Bird Backyards

No birds in your backyard? Or want more of a variety? Perhaps provide a safe place for nesting?

This website has all of the information you need. There's a page dedicated to birdhouses, birdfeeders, and birdbaths each. However, first decide if you want to provide resources to birds—it's a controversial topic!


About Us

This website was made as part of a Girl Scout Gold Award. The Gold Award is the highest award a girl can earn, and the project is a real committment.


Now this website is managed by a leadership youth program called Leaders-in-Training.

More

In addition to information on bird conservation, there's a page dedicated to other resources for more information. Or, if you are curious where certain facts on this site come from, there's also a Works Cited page (a list of sources) that contains all references.

Questions?

Please contact us by emailing birdconservationguide@gmail.com.

We look forward to hearing from you!