Ithaca, NY—A newly released State of the Birds report for the United States reveals a tale of two trends, one hopeful, one dire. Long-term trends of waterfowl show strong increases where investments in wetland conservation have improved conditions for birds and people. But data show birds in the United States are declining overall in every […]
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Posted inEnviro
Light Pollution Increasing Year-Round for Some Migrating Birds
Ithaca, NY—Nighttime light pollution levels are increasing the most in the southeastern United States, Mexico, and Central America—findings based on year-round data collected over the last two decades in the Western Hemisphere. This trend is a real concern for birds that fly at night during spring and fall migration and even during non-migratory seasons. Results […]
Posted inLife
What Bird is Singing? Ask the Merlin Bird ID App for an Instant Answer
Ithaca, NY—Hear a bird singing? Today with the free Merlin Bird ID app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, you can make a quantum leap in bird identification just by holding up your phone. As Merlin listens with you it uses AI technology to identify each species like magic, displaying in real time a list and photos of […]
Posted inEnviro
Study: Clean Air Act Saved 1.5 Billion Birds
Ithaca, NY, November 24, 2020 —U.S. pollution regulations meant to protect humans from dirty air are also saving birds. So concludes a new continentwide study published today in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Study authors found that improved air quality under a federal program to reduce ozone pollution may have averted the loss of […]
Posted inLife
Every Bird Has a Story. Discover Them All
“This is such a great resource for people stuck at home!We need this more than ever right now.”–Martha, Chappaqua Public Library April 7, 2020 – The world’s birdlife has always been a source of wonder and fascination. With the new Birds of the World online reference, you can travel to Peru to see the flamboyant Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, […]
Posted inSci/Tech
Study Finds Bird Migration Timing Skewed by Climate Change
Fort Collins, CO & Ithaca, NY—A team of researchers has found that the timing of spring bird migration across North America is shifting as a result of climate change. The study, one of the first to examine the subject at a continental scale, is published in Nature Climate Change. The work was done by scientists at […]
Posted inEnviro
Study: U.S. and Canada Have Lost More Than One in Four Birds in the Past 50 Years
September 19, 2019—A study published today in the journal Science reveals that since 1970, bird populations in the United States and Canada have declined by 29 percent, or almost 3 billion birds, signaling a widespread ecological crisis. The results show tremendous losses across diverse groups of birds and habitats—from iconic songsters such as meadowlarks to […]
Posted inLife
Count Birds Anywhere For Global Big Day 2019 on May 4th
ITHACA, April 30, 2019 – More than 30,000 people will take part in a massive effort to set a new world record this Saturday, May 4. The goal: tally the greatest number of bird species ever seen in a single day. This day is Global Big Day—a free Cornell Lab of Ornithology event for anybody […]
Posted inLife
Study Names Top Cities Emitting Light that Endangers Migratory Birds
Ithaca, NY April 2, 2019 – An estimated 600 million birds die from building collisions every year in the United States. Scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have published new research highlighting artificial light at night as a contributing factor. They’ve ranked metropolitan areas where, due to a combination of light pollution and geography, birds are […]
Posted inSci/Tech
Study: Climate change is leading to unpredictable ecosystem disruption for migratory birds
ITHACA, NY, March 5, 2019 – Using data on 77 North American migratory bird species from the eBird citizen-science program, scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology say that, in as little as four decades, it may be very difficult to predict how climate change will affect migratory bird populations and the ecosystems they inhabit. […]
Posted inRegional
Great Backyard Bird Count from Feb. 13-18 Should Be “Finchy” and Fun
New York, NY, Ithaca, NY, and Port Rowan, ON January 24, 2019 – The 22nd Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) will take place from Friday, February 15 through Monday, February 18. Volunteers from around the world are invited to count the birds they see for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count, then enter […]
Posted inLife
Help FeederWatch Survey the Health & Behavior of Backyard Birds
Ithaca, NY, Oct. 30, 2018 – It’s amazing what we can learn when tens of thousands of eyes are focused on one thing. Those eyes don’t miss much. For more than 30 years, people who feed wild birds have been reporting their observations to Project FeederWatch at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. FeederWatch participants turn their hobby […]
Posted inEnviro
More than 4 billion birds stream overhead the U.S. during fall migration
Ithaca, NY, Sept. 17, 2018 – Using cloud computing and data from 143 weather radar stations across the continental United States, Cornell Lab of Ornithology researchers can now estimate how many birds migrate through the U.S. and the toll that winter and these nocturnal journeys take. Their findings are published in Nature Ecology & Evolution. […]
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Study Measures Light’s Dramatic Impact on Bird Migration
ITHACA, NY, Oct. 3, 2017 – Billions of birds undertake migratory journeys each spring and fall. Most of these spectacular movements go unseen, occurring under the cover of darkness. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides some of the most compelling evidence yet that artificial light at night causes […]
Posted inLife
Celebrate Your Birds and 30 Years of Project FeederWatch
ITHACA, NY, Oct. 27, 2016 – One Northern Cardinal, Carolina Chickadee, or Tufted Titmouse at a time, Project FeederWatch participants are making new scientific discoveries possible. This long-running citizen-science project has amassed decades of information about winter feeder birds across the United States and Canada. The 30th season of FeederWatch kicks off on November 12. […]