Bird populations are in decline, with billions fewer birds are flying through North America compared to a decade ago, according to a study published in February 2026. The researchers found that about half of the 261 species analyzed showed significant declines from 1987 to 2021, and a quarter showed accelerating declines. The study points out that the declines are primarily because of high-intensity agriculture and warming temperatures.
“This heartbreaking study shows that almost every group of birds is doing poorly because of reckless agricultural practices and human-caused climate change,” said Tara Zuardo, a senior campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity.
The findings come as a congressional panel is holding a hearing to consider weakening the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The hearing will address the future of the Act and the protection of migratory birds from harm and death, in part due to large-scale industrial activity. The Trump administration claims that the Act only covers intentional killing of migratory birds, but in 2020 a federal court disagreed, noting that the Act makes it unlawful to kill birds “by any means whatever or in any manner.”
In April 2025, the Trump administration reinstated provisions to weaken the MBTA that it had unsuccessfully attempted to put in place in 2020. The provisions meant that businesses could not be held liable for instances where birds are killed by industrial activities, such as the deaths of birds that land on an uncovered pond of hazardous wastes.
“Extinction starts with declines like these, and birds are often the indicators that our environment is too toxic to support other life,” said Zuardo. “[The study’s] findings are a powerful rebuke to Republicans on Capitol Hill who’re trying to gut the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.”
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