7 min read.
By Kyle Horner, NatureCounts Engagement Coordinator
One year ago we released The State of Canada’s Birds with our partners at Environment and Climate Change Canada. This massive resource took nearly half a decade to develop, and it is changing the face of bird conservation in Canada.
Since its launch, the State of Canada’s Birds has:
- Been viewed more than 70,000 times
- Received national media attention through numerous TV, radio, and print outlets, and been shared broadly and prominently on social media
- Been used in over 20 scientific publications
- Played a substantial role in the World Wildlife Fund Canada’s recent Living Planet Report
- Been presented at major conferences across the western hemisphere, and was even spoken about on the floor of the House of Commons!
See the list at the end of the blog for a few examples of publications that have cited the State of Canada’s Birds.
From its beginning, one major goal of the State of Canada’s Birds was to bring attention to the need to protect and conserve birds. In this regard, it certainly seems a success! But the State of Canada’s Birds is much more than an awareness campaign. It is a dedicated tool for researchers and conservationists, tailor-made to help them help birds.
About the Report
The State of Canada’s Birds pulled together over 400,000 population trends—think of them as graphs showing the change in a population over time—for Canada’s birds from long-term monitoring programs across the country.
These trends are housed in Birds Canada’s NatureCounts platform, and it is the first time they have ever been assembled in one place.
The trends are a vital tool for researchers studying birds in Canada. The State of Canada’s Birds uses them to make species assessments, fuel expert insights, and generate indicators that tell us how birds across the country are doing. If you’ve read the report or the species accounts, you’ve seen these trends in action through the various graphs, figures, and explanations. There’s another piece of the State of Canada’s Birds, though, that tends to fly under the radar.
In addition to illustrating how birds are doing now, the State of Canada’s Birds sets measurable goals for how we want them to be in the future. These goals are based on historical data and long-term trends for each species, and they are key to prioritizing conservation efforts and measuring the success of conservation action.
By bringing together the best available information, reporting on the current status of birds, and setting goals for the future, the State of Canada’s Birds provides the necessary tools for conservation actors—including Birds Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada—to take informed and ambitious action to halt declines and recover populations. That work is not always visible but it is happening, and that’s heartening to know.
Unlike many previous reports, The State of Canada’s Birds is a dynamic and ongoing resource, with work already underway to improve and update the platform. As new data become available, they will be integrated into new versions of the report and accounts.
This means that anyone working towards bird conservation in Canada will always have easy access to the most up-to-date and complete information available, and priorities can be regularly adjusted to meet the most pressing needs.
The State of Canada’s Birds revealed that many grassland birds, like the Chestnut-collared Longspur, have declined steeply. Photo: Stefano Liccioli
The State of Canada’s Birds is just a year old, and already we can see its broad impact rippling through the conservation community. We are excited to continue striving to make this crucial resource the best that it can be, and to work collaboratively to ensure a bright future for all birds that call Canada home.
Publications Citing the State of Canada’s Birds:
Bonnett, Sarah M.F. “Effects of a Topographical Gradient on Food Availability, Nest Site Selection, Nest Initiation, and Nest Success for Two Small, Low Arctic Breeding Bird Species.” Trent University, 2025. https://www.proquest.com/openview/7d9b18e4508c9e458d9be4b3810e66e1/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y.
Brenton, Claire N. “The Human Dimensions of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Murre Hunt: A Social-Ecological Study.” Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2025. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14783/11277.
Caruso, Kayla. “Detecting Changes in Shorebird Abundance in Relation to Habitat and Climate at Saline Lakes of Saskatchewan, Canada.” University of Saskatchewan, 2025. https://hdl.handle.net/10388/16663.
Clark‐Wolf, T.J., David L. Miller, Hannah Drake, et al. “Using Model‐based Distance Sampling to Estimate Decadal Population Change in Northern Gannets ( Morus Bassanus ) across Periods Spanned by Different At‐sea Survey Methods.” Ibis, January 10, 2025, ibi.13387. https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.13387.
Fisher, Ryan J. “Changes in Urban Landcover Picks Winners and Losers in the Non-Invasive Bird Community.” Urban Ecosystems 28, no. 2 (2025): 95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-025-01710-w.
Freitag, Kelsey, Ann E. McKellar, David W. Bradley, et al. “Broad and Fine Scale Range Shifts of a Species at Risk Across North America.” Ecology and Evolution 15, no. 6 (2025): e71537. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71537.
Gendron, Florence. Dresser un portrait de l’impact des changements climatiques sur les comportements et sur la phénologie des oiseaux de proie au Québec. 2025. https://hdl.handle.net/11143/23130.
Guide Sur La Restauration Des Cours d’eau. Association des gestionnaires regionaux des cours d’eau du Quebec, 2025. https://restauration.agrcq.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/17.AmenagementsFauniques_FicheDetaillee.V3.2025.05.15.CMi_.pdf.
Gutowsky, S.E., A. Morrill, H.L. Major, M.L. Mallory, C.M. Francis, and J.F. Provencher. “Does Incidental Fisheries Bycatch in Canadian Waters Have Population Level Impacts for Northern Fulmars Breeding in Arctic Canada?” Marine Environmental Research 210 (September 2025): 107285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2025.107285.
Iron, Jean. “The Toronto Whimbrel Watch: History, Highlights, and International Collaboration.” Birding, June 2025. http://www.torontobirding.ca/toc-docs/The_Toronto_Whimbrel_Watch.pdf.
Legere, Taylor. “The Early Bird Meets the Citizen Scientist.” University of British Columbia, 2025. https://doi.org/10.14288/1.0448809.
Living Planet Report Canada: 2025 Wildlife at Home. World WIldlife Fund Canada, 2025. https://wwf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/WWF_LPRC_Report.pdf.
Myers, Hayley. “A Human Dimensions Study of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Murre Hunt.” Masters, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2024. https://research.library.mun.ca/16881/.
Reidlinger, Brielle Lauren. INFLUENCE OF GRAZING MANAGEMENT ON NATIVE GRASSLAND PLANT AND SONGBIRD COMMUNITIES. 2025. https://hdl.handle.net/10388/17226.
Rideout, Natalie K. The Secret World of Ditches: An Ecosystem Service Approach to Linking Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems in Agro-Landscapes. December 2024. https://unbscholar.lib.unb.ca/handle/1882/38241.
Schoen, Jacqueline. “SHORT-TERM IMPACTS OF THE SITE C DAM ON THE THREATENED BANK SWALLOW (Riparia Riparia).” Thompson Rivers University, 2025. https://tru.arcabc.ca/_flysystem/repo-bin/2025-09/JacquelineSchoen_Thesis_%20Final.pdf.
Schutten, Kerry, Akshaya Chandrashekar, Brian Stevens, E. Jane Parmley, Jennifer F. Provencher, and Claire M. Jardine. “Investigating Plastic Pollution Ingestion in Migratory Turkey Vultures ( Cathartes Aura ) in Ontario, Canada.” Journal of Raptor Research, ahead of print, March 10, 2025. https://doi.org/10.3356/jrr2449.
Smith, Paul A, Jonathan Bart, Victoria H Johnston, et al. “Abundance and Distribution of Birds from Comprehensive Surveys of the Canadian Arctic, 1994–2018.” Ornithological Applications, September 1, 2025, duaf050. https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duaf050.
Tardif, Roxanne. “L’enjeu de relève agricole de la Ferme Benhel, quel modèle intégré, intégrant et résilient pour tendre vers un modèle d’agriculture durable?” With Université de Sherbrooke and Yves Fréchette. Preprint, Université de Sherbrooke, 2025. https://doi.org/10.71892/11143/919.
Tench, Hannah. “Prenatal Reproductive Success of an Aerial Insectivore, the Tree Swallow (Tachycineta Bicolor).” Master of Science, University of Northern British Columbia, 2025. https://doi.org/10.24124/2025/30505.
Weiderick, Baillie Marie. Guano Rain and Growing Pain: Co-Nesting Dynamics of Double-Crested Cormorants and Black-Crowned Night-Herons at Tommy Thompson Park. April 10, 2025. https://hdl.handle.net/10315/42988.
Yappert, Aaron A. “The Influence of Environmental Factors and Human Infrastructure on Shorebird Pre-Incubation Movements in Alaska – ProQuest.” Iowa State University, 2025. https://www.proquest.com/openview/3606c79ada8ec0e959fedf8ed4c7b760/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y.
Yunes Perez, Nicole. THE SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL FACTORS AFFECTING CHIMNEY SWIFT (CHAETURA PELAGICA) NEST SITE OCCUPANCY PATTERNS. n.d. https://doi.org/10.7275/55906.