Bird status reporting of the movements and behaviours of all North American landbirds, shorebirds, waterbirds and waterfowl is critical and enables bird scientists to:
- Assess the health and stability of bird populations
- Track trends in their numbers
- Monitor their ability to reproduce successfully and to survive
- Identify species of conservation concern or key habitats to conserve
This information is equally important when using birds as indicators of ecosystem health. Long-term population decreases are of great concern because they can indicate environmental issues likely to have an effect on human health and well-being.
Although some regions of Canada are not regularly monitored, knowledge on the state of bird populations has improved over time. New monitoring programs have been established and existing programs have expanded. The invaluable help of more and more volunteers—particularly citizen scientists—has increased survey coverage of Canada, North America and beyond.
- The Canadian Wildlife Service’s Status of Canada’s Birds online tool
- State of Canada’s Birds report
- State of North America’s Birds report
- Bird Studies Canada’s NatureCounts (Canada’s node in the Avian Knowledge Network)
- Bird Studies Canada’s Avibase
- Breeding Bird Atlas
- The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s BirdVis
- Partners in Flight’s Avian Conservation Assessment Database