19-05-2025
Birds in Virginia and nationwide are vanishing — fast
Birds that call Virginia's coast and mountains home are in serious decline.
Why it matters: Birds are indicators of the health of their habitats and signal early warnings of broader trouble to the environment, and potentially people.
By the numbers: In the past 50 years, Virginia species like Wilson's Plover — a signature bird of Virginia's barrier islands — have lost half of their population, per the North American Bird Conservation Initiative's 2025 State of the Birds report.
The plover and the Golden-winged warbler are now labeled a "Tipping Point" species, meaning they could vanish within the next half-century without urgent conservation action.
The cerulean warbler in Virginia's mountains has also seen its population crash in the past 50 years.
Zoom in: The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources has said pollution, changing climate and "the sea level rise that comes with it" can impact Virginia's coastal birds.
The report noted declines in eastern forest birds, like the Bachman's sparrow in Virginia, are partly due to habitat loss from residential development.
Threat level: A blow to birds is a blow to the economy. From birding tourism to pest control and pollination, birds generate nearly $280 billion annually for the U.S. economy, the report finds.
The big picture: It's not just Virginia. Researchers tracked species nationwide and found declines almost everywhere — even among birds once thought resilient, like waterfowl.
Roughly one-third of U.S. bird species — 229 in total — are now classified as high or moderate conservation concerns.
Yes, but: There are signs of hope. Thanks to wetland protections, dabbling and diving duck populations have jumped 24% since 1970, while waterbirds are up 16%, per the report.
