Bird losses are accelerating across North America, particularly in farming regions where agriculture is most intensive

Eastern meadowlark populations across the U.S. grasslands have dropped by about three-quarters since 1970. lwolfartist via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

Since the 1970s, the U.S. has lost billions of birds. We now know that those losses aren’t just growing – they are accelerating in places with intensive human activity, particularly where agriculture and expanding communities are changing the landscape.

Bird population declines have been closely linked to pollution, use of chemicals and physical changes to their habitats.