Organizations That Not Only Help Birds, But Will Help You Understand Birds
The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology – a Unit of Cornell University
From their website: We believe in the power of birds to ignite and inspire action. Join us on a lifelong journey to enjoy, understand, and protect birds and the natural world.
allaboutbirds.org
My recommendation: Explore their online bird guide. Take time to access the many bird cams that are available. Some of these bird cams are from parts of the world you may never visit. This website is full of all sorts of information about birds. The following are all offered through the Cornell Lab:
eBird: Quoted from their website: eBird began with a simple idea – that every birdwatcher has unique knowledge and experience. Our goal is to gather this information in the form of checklists of birds, archive it, and freely share it to power new data-driven approaches to science, conservation and education. At the same time, we develop tools that make birding more rewarding. From being able to manage lists, photos, and audio recordings, to seeing real-time maps of species distribution, to alerts that let you know when species have been seen, we strive to provide the most current and useful information to the birding community.
ebird.org
Merlin: This is a free app and is an invaluable tool for birders of all levels. I recommend you download this to your cell phone. My favorite part of this app is the Sound ID. Birdsongs and calls are difficult for me and this app has helped me to recognize more songs and calls than I ever thought possible.
merlin.allaboutbirds.org
NestWatch: Quoted from their website: NestWatch is a monitoring program designed to track status and trends in the reproductive biology of birds, including when nesting occurs, number of eggs laid, how many eggs hatch, and how many hatchlings survive. Our database is intended to be used to study the current condition of breeding bird populations and how they may be changing over time as a result of climate change, habitat degradation and loss, expansion of urban areas, and the introduction of non-native plants and animals.
nestwatch.org
Project FeederWatch: From their website: This is a program open to anyone who has – or has access to – bird feeders or a bird friendly habitat. You can register as a single person, a family, or a group. Please note on the website that there is a fee to join. You can read all about this effort to track birds in North America at feederwatch.org but here is a quote from their website: Project FeederWatch turns your love of feeding birds into scientific discoveries. FeederWatch is a November-April survey of birds that visit backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. You don’t even need a feeder! All you need is an area with plantings, habitat, water, or food that attracts birds. The schedule is completely flexible. Count your birds for as long as you like on days of your choosing, then enter your counts online. Your counts allow you to track what is happening to birds around your home and to contribute to a continental data-set of bird distribution and abundance.
projectfeederwatch.org
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The American Ornithologist Society (AOS)
With the merger of the American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society (COS), the American Ornithologist Society was formed.
A quote from their website at americanornithology.org:
The American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU) was founded in 1883 out of concern for bird conservation and interest in developing the field of ornithology in North America. Early AOU efforts led to formation of the National Audubon Society and the Biological Survey (now known as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Before merging with the Cooper Ornithological Society to form the American Ornithological Society in 2016 , the AOU was the largest ornithological society in the Western Hemisphere and one of the oldest organizations in the world devoted to the scientific study and conservation of birds.
The Cooper Ornithological Society (COS) commemorated an early western naturalist, Dr. James G. Cooper, and grew from a small band of naturalists in 1893 to an internationally recognized scientific society. The COS was committed to advancing the conservation and management of bird species by applying high-quality science, grounded in natural history, to our understanding of avian biology.
Effective 11 October 2016, these two societies merged to form the American Ornithological Society (AOS) and this is a quote from their website:
The AOS is a diverse, global network of empowered professionals, working together to advance the scientific study and conservation of birds. The world’s largest international ornithological society, the AOS is more relevant today than ever, and we’re dedicated to supporting the scientists doing this critical work – for the sake of birds, humanity and the planet.
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North American Breeding Bird Survey
A quote from their website at www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs
The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is a long-term, large-scale, international avian monitoring program initiated in 1966 to track the status and trends of North American bird populations. The USGS (United States Geologic Survey at usgs.gov) Eastern Ecological Science Center and Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service jointly coordinate the BBS program.
From the website: The creation of the BBS was a direct result of DDT. In the mid-twentieth century, the success of DDT as a pesticide ushered in a new era of synthetic chemical pest control. As pesticide use grew, concerns, as epitomized by Rachel Carson in her book Silent Spring, regarding their effects on wildlife, began to surface. Local studies had attributed some bird kills to pesticides, but it was unclear how, or if, bird populations were being affected at regional or national levels. Responding to this concern, Chandler Robbins and colleagues at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center developed the North American Breeding Bird Survey to monitor bird populations over large geographic areas.
Although most concerns over pesticide use in North America have subsided in recent decades, bird populations continue to be subjected to numerous widespread threats including habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, land-use changes, and other chemical contaminants. Today, the BBS continues to monitor bird populations across North America and informs researchers and wildlife managers of significant changes in bird population levels. If significant declines are detected, their causes can then be identified and appropriate actions taken to reverse them before populations reach critically low levels.
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Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
From the website www.fws.gov/law/migratory-bird-treaty-act-1918: The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 implements four international conservation treaties that the U.S. entered into with Canada in 1916, Mexico in 1936, Japan in 1972, and Russia in 1976. It is intended to ensure the sustainability of populations of all protected migratory bird species. The law has been amended with the signing of each treaty, as well as when any of the treaties were amended, such as with Mexico in 1976 and Canada in 1995.
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) prohibits the take (including killing, capturing, selling, trading, and transport) of protected migratory bird species without prior authorization by the Department of Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
For all of us, this is the important paragraph:
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) prohibits the take (including killing, capturing, selling, trading, and transport) of protected migratory bird species without prior authorization by the Department of Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This includes taking eggs from nests. In this book, there are five non-native species: House Sparrow, House Wren, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, European Starling, and Eurasian Collared-Dove. These species are not covered by this treaty. ALL other birds are. If you have birds that have become nuisances, please see Chapter 5 for suggestions that will disperse birds, not harm them. Please note, it you harm birds covered by this treaty in any way, you will be subject to fines and possible jail time.
Feathers. The Migratory Bird Act prohibits the collection of any part of a bird – alive or dead – so that would include feathers – all feathers. this includes feathers just lying on the ground. You may think this seems ridiculous, but before dismissing this part of the law, take time to do some research into the ladies’ hat production of the late 1800’s to about 1929. All species of herons and egrets plus many other species of wading birds and waterfowl were just about brought to extinction to satisfy the need for large plumes and feathers in ladies’ hats – and do not blame women for this exclusively. Men loved to see women in these gorgeous, large hats – it was a sign of wealth and good breeding which many men looked for in choosing a spouse. This is where this part of the treaty originated – to protect these large wading birds and waterfowl from slaughter for their feathers.
It may be that you picking up a stray Blue Jay feather shed by some passing bird, is in no way threatening to the population of Blue Jays but for now, this part of the law stands. No one in the birding world wants to see this law weakened in any way. It is an international agreement which protects birds. My not being permitted to pick up that Blue Jay feather off the ground is a small price to pay for the protection of all birds. So before you glibly go forth and disregard this part of the law concerning feathers, do some research online and then make a decision. And remember, your actions will be seen and make an impression on those people who know nothing at all about birds or nature. This is an opportunity for you to quietly set a good example.
The List of Migratory Bird Species Protected by the MBTA
The list of migratory bird species protected by the law is primarily based on bird families and species included in the four international treaties. The list was updated in 2020 and is available in a downloadable Microsoft Excel file.
A migratory bird species is included on the list if it meets one or more of the following criteria:
- It occurs in the United States or U.S. territories as the result of natural biological or ecological processes and is currently, or was previously listed as, a species or part of a family protected by one of the four international treaties or their amendments.
- Revised taxonomy results in it being newly split from a species that was previously on the list, and the new species occurs in the United States or U.S. territories as the result of natural biological or ecological processes.
- New evidence exists for its natural occurrence in the United States or U.S. territories resulting from natural distributional changes and the species occurs in a protected family.
The List of Bird Species to Which the Migratory Bird Treaty Act Does Not Apply
The Migratory Bird Treaty Reform Act of 2004 (MBTRA) amended the MBTA by stating the MBTA applies only to migratory bird species that are native to the United States or U.S. territories, and that a native migratory bird species is one that is present as a result of natural biological or ecological processes. The MBTRA requires the Service to publish a list of all nonnative, human-introduced bird species to which the MBTA does not apply, and an updated list was published in 2020. The 2020 update identifies species belonging to biological families referred to in treaties the MBTA implements, but are not protected, because their presence in the United States or U.S. territories is solely the result of intentional or unintentional human-assisted introductions. It reflects the most current scientific information on taxonomy and natural.
Migratory Bird Permits
Regulations regarding migratory bird permits (50 CFR 21) provide information on permits for “the taking, possession, transportation, sale, purchase, barter, importation, exportation, and banding or marking of migratory birds. This part also provides certain exceptions to permit requirements for public, scientific, or educational institutions, and establishes depredation orders which provide limited exceptions to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.” The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Migratory Bird Permit Program issues and maintains these permits through ePermits.
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Partners in Flight
Quoted from the website: Partners in Flight was created to advance full life-cycle conservation of landbirds in the Americas via sound science, integrated conservation partnerships, habitat delivery on public and private lands, and targeted citizen outreach.
partnersinflight.org
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State of the Birds Watch List
From the website: The list summarizes our assessment of the 1154 native species in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. It includes a conservation score for every species. Also listed, is the primary breeding habitat and the primary region migratory species spend the northern winter. Nonmigratory species are listed as Resident. Species with “(Wet)” after the habitat category are found in wetland habitats embedded within that habitat type.
As of 2020, The Watch List includes over 400 species with high concern scores, or with a a steeply declining population trend—these are the species most at risk of extinction without significant conservation actions to reverse declines and reduce threats. You can download the complete species assessment table, including vulnerability scores and additional habitat information for each species.
stateofthebirds.org