American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is dedicated to mitigating the harmful impacts of human activity on bird habitats. This includes advocating for more transparency about how toxins put into the environment, including chemicals like insecticides and metals like lead, impact birds and other wildlife.  As part of this work, in June 2023, ABC conducted a survey … Read More>>

Around 1 billion pounds of conventional pesticides are sprayed and scattered each year in the United States, and many of these chemicals remain in soil and water for months or years, killing far more than just the garden pests we hope to eliminate. Pesticides can harm birds in a number of ways. They can suppress … Read More>>

The Farm Bill, the United States' largest source of funding for conservation, is up for revision this year. Drafts of the Farm Bill are being developed now by both Houses of Congress, though the new legislation probably won't be completed until 2024. A lot still has to happen before Farm Bill legislation can be introduced, … Read More>>

Climate change menaces birds in many ways, but conservationists are already hard at work tackling some of the most significant threats. Below are some strategies for adaptation and mitigation being used by American Bird Conservancy (ABC), our partners, and other conservationists — each for a different threat posed by climate change. Fire Prevention and Control … Read More>>

About 250,000 years ago — just a few moments in evolutionary time — small songbirds, likely patterned in brown and pink, island-hopped from Asia to what would become Alaska. Over the ensuing millennia, these birds' descendants spread across western North America and evolved into three of our continent's least-studied songbirds: the rosy-finches. North America's three … Read More>>

In June in Central Valley, California, migrant farmworkers rise before the sun. They wrap themselves tight in personal protective equipment — socks, boots, a bandana, gloves, goggles, and, finally, coveralls. They're in the field by 4 a.m. The field is dark, save for distant wildfire's flickering flame. As the sun rises and the hours go … Read More>>

As the use of plastic has grown throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, so too has the ubiquity of plastic waste in the world's oceans. Of all the world's birdlife, seabirds such as albatrosses, gannets, and gulls are hit especially hard by this threat. As we enter beach season, the American Bird Conservancy Action Fund … Read More>>

The New World warblers (family Parulidae) are among the birds most beloved by North American birders. It's not hard to understand why — they can be found in a range of habitats, sing distinctive songs and often sport bright colors, and many are long-distance migrants whose return to the continent is a welcome sign of … Read More>>

If you're interested in bird migration, you're probably familiar with the idea of scientists tracking birds' movements across the globe using tiny backpack-like devices. Knowing the routes individual birds take can be crucial for identifying the stopover sites and wintering grounds that declining bird populations rely on and, hopefully, taking action to protect them. But … Read More>>

One of the surest and most welcome signs of spring is the sound of birdsong drifting from the trees and bushes. But to birds, these songs aren't just an expression of joy. They're serious business, a crucial part of how songbirds find mates, defend territories, and pass on their genes. Birds have a specialized bit … Read More>>