Fast Facts:

  • Conservation programs, like the Duck Stamp, are great examples of habitat tools that help maintain waterfowl numbers.
  • "Cross border continental collaboration is an important tool to demonstrate that conservation can succeed when governments work together," said Paul Schmidt, chief conservation officer for Ducks Unlimited.
  • Tri-national study of migratory bird populations shows one-third of North American bird species need urgent conservation action.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 18, 2016 - The North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) published today The State of North America's Birds 2016, the first comprehensive report assessing the conservation status of all bird species that occur in the continental United States, Canada and Mexico. The report shows major gains for many wetland-dependent bird species indicating that populations of approximately 80 percent of North American wetland birds are in stable or good condition.

"Our birds are truly a shared resource as they migrate across borders," said Paul Schmidt, chief conservation officer for Ducks Unlimited. "Waterfowl, in particular, have benefited greatly from wetland conservation investment programs like the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and the Duck Stamp. Cross border continental collaboration is an important tool to demonstrate that conservation can succeed when governments work together. Ducks Unlimited remains committed to ensuring vital resources and habitat are protected for years to come, so that birds across this continent may benefit from this partnership between these three countries."

Over the past two decades, more than $1.4 billion in grants have been awarded through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. Overall, the program has resulted in more than $2.9 billion in partner funds for more than 30 million acres of habitat across the North American continent. While the report showed waterfowl and waterbirds with impressive gains since the 1950s, wetland loss remains a major concern. Continued investment in wetlands conservation is needed if waterfowl are to continue to thrive.

However, the report indicated that more than one-third of all North American bird species need urgent conservation action and calls for a renewed, continent-wide commitment to saving our shared birds and their habitats. Healthy environments for birds also provide benefits to other wildlife and people, such as clean air and water, flood and erosion control, and coastal resilience. The report indicated birds in ocean and tropical forest habitats are in crisis. More than half of the bird species in these ecosystems are on the Watch List, which designates species that are most at risk of extinction without significant action. In particular, long-distance migratory shorebirds and species that migrate from the Great Plains of Canada and the U.S. to Mexico's Chihuahua grasslands have lost, on average, almost 70 percent of their continental populations since 1970.

This State of North America's Birds Report is being released during the Centennial year of the Migratory Bird Treaty, an agreement between the United States and Great Britain on behalf of Canada that promised collaborative conservation to protect North America's migratory birds. In 1936, twenty years after the signing of the Migratory Bird Treaty, Mexico and the U.S. committed to a similar treaty, connecting all of North America in its efforts to protect our shared species. It calls for a renewed commitment to continental bird conservation agreements to keep our shared birds safe and healthy for the next 100 years. For more information and to read the full report, visit stateofthebrids.org.

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 13.6 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.

Media Contact:
Tucker Clare Nelson
(202) 347-1530
tnelson@ducks.org