Birds are a crucial part of almost every ecosystem, yet their numbers are rapidly decreasing. The most common birds in North America, finches and sparrows, have had their population dwindle for 50 years now. North America has lost around 3 billion birds in the past five decades, according to The Washington Post.

This path toward eventual extinction for birds is a result of diminishing ecosystems. Since the 1970’s, the overall number of birds within North America has decreased by 29 percent.

One of the main causes of this decrease is because of the pesticides that are released in the grasslands, which kill the bugs that birds eat. The birds that are most affected by this are swallows, warblers, and thrushes. 

These issues are not specific to just the U.S. but are happening nearly worldwide. A study by Richard Gregory, head of species monitoring and research at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, has stated that “These birds are an indicator of ecosystem health. And that, ultimately, may be linked to the productivity and sustainability of agricultural systems.” In 2014, Gregory and his colleagues reported that 421 million birds have died in Europe in the span of 30 years. 

Back in September 2019, scientists in Germany reported that Lake Constance, at the border of Germany and Switzerland, had lost 25 percent of its birds in the past three decades. 

Rising temperatures from climate change can make some state birds stateless. According to National Geographic, “If Earth continues to warm according to current trends rising 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100—more than two-thirds of North America’s bird species will be vulnerable to extinction due to range loss.”

Mike Parr, president of the American Bird Conservancy, has stated that outdoor cats have also reduced the population of birds.

The United Nations has reported that roughly 1 million animal and plant species are at risk of extinction. 

Due to drastic change to the climate, which has not been this fast in the last 2 million years, birds will continue to migrate farther away if there is no proper action.