Travis Longcore for ABC7 News—Efforts to Save the Birds We are Losing

Bird populations across the United States are plummeting at an alarming rate, with three billion birds lost since 1970, according to UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability professor Travis Longcore. In a recent interview with ABC7 News, Longcore breaks down the driving forces behind this crisis — including habitat loss, agricultural pesticides, migration hazards and overexploitation — and emphasizes that action is still possible.

“You look at grassland birds, you look at forest birds, dry land birds — they are all down dramatically,” Longcore explains, warning that continued losses could have cascading effects on ecosystems. However, he stresses that individuals and policymakers can help reverse this trend by supporting conservation efforts, advocating for bird-friendly policies and reducing environmental threats.