Conservation groups issue an SOS for Wisconsin songbirds

Deeply concerned with an estimated loss of 30% of North American birds, Wisconsin conservation organizations have partnered in an initiative called SOS Save Our Songbirds.

The effort, started by the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Bird Conservation Partnership, is designed to raise awareness of birds’ dire situation and spur action by state residents at their homes.

The groups announced the campaign Friday at the Bringing Birds Back conference in Oshkosh.

“Our songbirds are in crisis, in Wisconsin and everywhere,” said NRF Executive Director David Clutter. “The pleasure we get from seeing and hearing them will be lost if we don’t act now. The other mental health, economic and environmental benefits that we get from birds will go away too.”

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Scientists widely regard habitat loss as the biggest driver of bird loss. SOS Save Our Songbird seeks to restore some habitat for birds around homes, protect migratory stopover and winter habitats for Wisconsin birds that migrate to Central and South America and prevent birds from flying into problem windows.

Since the 1970s, North America has lost 3 billion birds, nearly 30% of the total, and even common birds such as sparrows and blackbirds are in decline, according to a 2019 report in Science magazine.

Ken Rosenberg, lead author of the study and a conservation scientist at Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology, described the 50-year change as "staggering."

The report showed declines are not restricted to rare and threatened species but also were seen in birds once considered common and wide-spread. The authors contend their findings have major implications for ecosystem integrity, the conservation of wildlife more broadly, and policies associated with the protection of birds and native habitats.

Wisconsin species that have declined include the western meadowlark and evening grosbeak; both showed among the largest range declines during the most recent Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas.

And the golden-winged warbler has lost 50% of its population from 1970–2019 and is on a trajectory to lose another 50% in the next 50 years, according to state biologists. Wisconsin has a special opportunity and responsibility for this species as 25% of golden-winged warblers nest in the Badger State, according to Ryan Brady, Department of Natural Resources conservation biologist.

To help reverse the losses, SOS Save Our Songbirds offers concrete ways for people to make small changes at home that help birds.

The campaign also will include hands-on events and provide discounts on products to help people put the changes in place.

SOS Save Our Songbirds calls for Wisconsinites to take one or more of three actions at home:

• Add a few plants in your yard that are good for birds.

• Reduce window threats by addressing a home window birds tend to collide with.

• Buy coffee grown in bird-friendly ways to protect the winter habitats of dozens of Wisconsin bird species.

Karen Etter Hale, chair of the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Partnership, said SOS Save Our Songbirds empowers people to have a positive impact on the birds they love.

“We’re asking everyone to try making one or more of these small changes at home,” she says. “It all adds up. We ask, too, if you will please share what you’re doing with your neighbors, family and friends so they can do good things for birds too.”

The campaign offers detailed tips, including suggestions for plants beneficial for birds and where to buy them, and some easy, inexpensive and effective fixes for a problem window at home, on its website, sossaveoursongbirds.org.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin conservation groups seek help for songbirds