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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 9/24/2019 - Article From Councilmember Ross Cunniff Re: National Geographic Article Published September 19, 2019 Re: Three Billion Birds Have Been Lost In North America Since 1970PHOTOGRAPH BY DARLYNE A. MURAWSKI, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION ANIMALS Three billion birds have been lost in North America since 1970 Due to habitat loss, pesticides, and more, North America’s springs are more silent than ever. BY JASON BITTEL PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 A field sparrow perches on a lichen-covered branch in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The species' numbers are declining. You might not notice it while hiking through the woods or strolling through a city park, but according to a new study, bird populations across North America are in a state of quiet freefall. In fact, compared with bird counts from 1970, scientists now estimate that the United States and Canada, which are home to 760 bird species, have lost around three billion birds. The study, published today in the journal Science, analyzed a combination of long-term population surveys as well as weather radar data to tease out the trend. Overall, the researchers discovered that birds found in grasslands—including well-known families such as sparrows, warblers, blackbirds, and finches—have been hit hardest, with their populations cut 53 percent over the last 48 years. (Read why birds matter in National Geographic magazine.) September 19, 2019 TO: Mayor & City Council FROM: Ross Cunniff FYI /sek note: photos omitted at request of National Geographic copyright With nearly three-quarters of all grassland species experiencing decline, it seems these biomes, which include farmers’ fields, are especially vulnerable to habitat loss and exposure to toxic pesticides. But plummeting bird numbers may also be linked to huge drops in insect populations—an important avian prey, the researchers say. “We should take it as staggering, devastating news,” says study senior author Peter Marra, director of the Georgetown Environment Initiative at Georgetown University. That’s because birds are crucial to the healthy functioning of ecosystems. Not only do our feathered friends help keep crop pests and other insects in check, but they also play critical roles in distributing seeds, disposing of rotting carcasses, and even pollinating plants. What’s killing birds? For the study, Marra and colleagues analyzed range-wide population estimates across 529 species of birds, some of which provided around half a century’s worth of data. They also included biomass estimates from weather radar, which can actually detect birds as they take to the skies at night to complete their biannual migrations. This helped the team calculate how populations have changed in areas where on-the- ground monitoring is more sparse, like the far north. This photo of the brown shrike (Lanius cristatus) shows a proud look after a successful landing on a bamboo pole. This was taken inside a pond at the University of the Philippines. Pyrrhuloxia in cactus. The heart of the breeding population of cerulean warblers occurs where mountaintop removal threatens the very existence of their breeding habitat and thus the future of this Many parts of the world are celebrating the opening of cherry blossoms as the first sign of spring. Okinawa is the first place in all of Japan to see them bloom. This photo of a bird Cedar waxwing The larks are very interesting and hardworking birds. I admire them for their camouflage and courage with which they defend their nests and raise their young against all odds. Even A pack of sparrows pick anxiously at a cupcake wrapper in New York City. Picture taken in a chess-playing park across the street from Magnolia Bakery (where the cupcake was purchased). Thrasher eyeballing organ pipe cactus fruit. This golden finch is one of a flock feeding in this patch. Spring 2008, Tehran. White-cheeked bulbul feeds her/his juveniles. This was done on a cloudy, dreary kind of day using flash. Dusky flycatcher (Muscicapa adusta). Among the 17,000-odd species of plants, invertebrates, and sundry flora and fauna to be found in the Drakensberg are some 290-odd species of Early robin and late snow. I was walking the loop trail at my favorite birding location in Seattle and thought I'd stop near the nest boxes to see if any of the tree swallows were actually using them. I walked past This is a purple sunbird, and I took this picture from Chittagong in Bangladesh. For this picture, I took about 30 minutes. Camera was D80, and lens was 400mm, 2.8. I love this picture Upon reaching the ruins, I quickly deviated from the tour group and set out on my own. I followed this bird around for about a half hour before getting close enough to get this photo I took this photo of an Australian bird, a red wattle honeyeater, while he was on the rail of my back verandah. Bird on the side of a man-made lake. Taken with a D700. Once all the changes were added up, it amounted to a loss of 2.9 billion birds since 1970—a total reduction of 29 percent. (Read about eight bird species that have disappeared this decade.) Though North American birds are vastly diverse, there are some common drivers behind their demise. “You only need to fly across the country to see that we’ve drastically changed the face of the earth,” says Marra. “There’s a lot of habitat that’s just gone.” The widespread use of pesticides has not only harmed insect populations, but the birds themselves: A recent study found that when birds eat seeds treated with certain neonicotinoid pesticides, they immediately lose weight, which in turn hinders their ability to migrate. Other causes include collisions with glass windows, which may kill some 600 million birds each year, and house cats, which are estimated to hunt down between one and four billion birds each year. An eastern meadowlark perches on dog fennel in Florida. Grassland birds have been particularly impacted by exposure to pesticides and habitat loss. PHOTOGRAPH BY CARLTON WARD JR., NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION Clearly, the hits are adding up. It’s not too late Lucas DeGroote is the avian research coordinator for the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, which runs one of the longest continually operating bird-banding stations in North America, out of Powdermill Nature Reserve in southwestern Pennsylvania. He says the new study is “not at all surprising.” WHY ARE PARROT SPECIES IN DECLINE? Highly intelligent and sociable, parrots are arguably the most popular pet birds. But they face dangers because of the pet trade and habitat destruction, making them among the most threatened species of birds. “We’ve been banding birds here since 1961, and across that almost 60 years, we’re catching fewer birds in volume than we once did, and the species composition has also changed,” says DeGroote. “So it’s really great to see an analysis that puts some numbers to that.” Despite the magnitude of the findings, both experts believe that there’s still time to reverse the trend. For instance, people “can make sure cats are kept inside, plant native plants, and minimize the impacts windows have,” Marra says. (See six things you can do to help birds.) Adds DeGroote, “There’s this saying, The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time to plant a tree is now.” In other words, the choices we make now will determine what happens next. “I think that level of optimism is needed for conservation,” he says. Jason Bittel is a natural history writer and frequent contributor to National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/09/three-billion-birds-lost-north-america/ From: Barb Clem To: City Council Cc: Sarah Kane; Darin Atteberry Subject: FW: Three billion birds have been lost in North America since 1970 Date: Thursday, September 19, 2019 1:53:20 PM Hello, Please see the article below from Councilmember Cunniff. I have copied Sarah here for council packets. Thank you, Barb Clem Executive Assistant to the City Manager Fort Collins, CO 970-221-6509 From: Ross Cunniff <rcunniff@fcgov.com> Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2019 1:05 PM To: Darin Atteberry <DATTEBERRY@fcgov.com> Subject: Three billion birds have been lost in North America since 1970 Darin, Can you please forward this document to Council (both electronically via the URL, and printing out the article for Council packets)? https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/09/three-billion-birds-lost-north- america/ Thanks, Ross With limited exceptions, emails and any files transmitted with them are subject to public disclosure under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA). To promote transparency, emails will be visible in an online archive, unless the sender puts #PRIVATE in the subject line of the email. However, the City of Fort Collins can’t guarantee that any email to or from Council will remain private under CORA.