American Bird Conservancy (ABC) takes bold action to conserve wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. Inspired by the wonder of birds, we achieve lasting results for the bird species most in need while also benefiting human communities, biodiversity, and the planet’s fragile climate. Our every action is underpinned by science, strengthened by partnerships, and rooted in the belief that diverse perspectives yield stronger results. Founded as a nonprofit organization in 1994, ABC remains committed to safeguarding birds for generations to come. Join us! Together, we can do more to ensure birds thrive.
Bird Conservation (ISSN: 3067-2228) is the member magazine of American Bird Conservancy and is published three times annually. Nonprofit postage paid at San Diego, California.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Bird Conservation, P.O. Box 249, The Plains, VA 20198. Send undeliverable copies to American Bird Conservancy, 8255 E. Main St., Suite D & E, Marshall, VA 20115. Return postage guaranteed.
Copyright 2025 American Bird Conservancy
Join Us
If you’re not already an ABC member, we invite you to join us. Members at any of our five levels of commitment receive a one-year subscription to Bird Conservation, access to members-only events and webinars, a choice of premiums, and other offers. Give now at abcbirds.org/membership or see contact details below.
Connect
Magazine feedback: We welcome letters to the editor and other feedback. Contact us at: magazine@abcbirds.org.
Membership or other inquiries: Contact us at American Bird Conservancy, P.O. Box 249, The Plains, VA 20198 | 540-253-5780 | info@abcbirds.org
Sign up to receive emails from ABC: abcbirds.org/email
Find and follow us on social media:
SPRING 2025, Volume 30, No. 1 abcbirds.org
MAGAZINE STAFF
Vice President, Communications and Marketing Clare Nielsen
Director of Communications
Jordan E. Rutter
Managing Editor Matt Mendenhall
Graphic Designer Maria de Lourdes Muñoz
Writer/Editor Molly Toth
Director of Brand Strategy and Web Som Prasad
Science and Policy Consultants
Steve Holmer, Hardy Kern, Daniel Lebbin, George E. Wallace, David A. Wiedenfeld
Contributors Andrés Anchondo, Naamal De Silva, Binta Dixon, Kevin Ellison, Austin Heslinga, Brad Keitt, Corey Martignetti, Eliot Miller, Jack Morrison, Kacy Ray, Steve Roels, Amy Upgren, EJ Williams
COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING TEAM
Director of Marketing Lara Long
Multimedia Producer Erica Sánchez Vázquez
Bird Library Specialist Gemma Radko
Media Relations Specialist Agatha Szczepaniak
Social Media Specialist Madeline Duffy
Digital Marketing Specialist Noah Kauffman
Digital Content Specialist Kathryn Stonich
ABC MANAGEMENT TEAM
President Michael J. Parr
Vice President of Advocacy and Threats
Programs Brian Brooks
Vice President of Development Erin Chen
Vice President of Operations Kacy Ray
Vice President of Policy Steve Holmer
Vice President of Threatened Species
Daniel Lebbin
Vice President of Together for Birds Naamal De Silva
Vice President of U.S. and Canada
Shawn Graff
Vice President and General Counsel
William “Bishop” Sheehan
Senior Finance Director Angela Modrick
Senior Conservation Scientist David Wiedenfeld
Director of International Programs Amy Upgren
Director of Migratory Bird Habitats in Latin America and the Caribbean Andrés Anchondo
Oceans and Islands Director Brad Keitt
Central Regional Director Jim Giocomo
Southeast Regional Director Jeff Raasch
MEMBERSHIP TEAM
Membership Director Kelly Wood
Membership Coordinator Jenna Chenoweth
Database Quality Coordinator Jamie Harrelson
Office Manager Cindy Elkins
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Larry Selzer, Chair
Michael J. Parr, President
David Hartwell, Treasurer
Mike Doss
Jonathan Franzen
Maribel Guevara
Josh Lerner
Annie Novak
Ravi Potharlanka
Carl Safina
Amy Tan
Stephen Tan
Shoaib Tareen
Walter Vergara
18
Spring 2025 Features
Generating Returns for Birds
ABC’s new BirdsPlus program is changing the conservation funding model and broadening scientific understanding of birds in Latin America and the Caribbean.
18
Treasure Hunt
How a young birder added the five rarest bird species in the continental United States to his life list.
26
Waiting in the Wings
Worldwide, more than 50 types of birds await formal scientific recognition, potentially causing delays in prioritizing their conservation.
32
In Every Issue
4 Chirps
Feedback from our readers.
5 From the Perch
Defending birds, now and always.
6 In Focus
The delightful Pyrrhuloxia.
8 Bird Calls
A Kirtland’s Warbler surprise, reports about U.S. birds and birders, new reserves in South America, and more news.
14 The Stopover
An introduction to the mixed grass prairie.
38 Together for Birds
The spark behind our new Afrofuturism Collective.
40 Bird Hero
ABC’s EJ Williams and her proudest accomplishments.
42 Action & Advocacy
How you can help birds this spring.
43 Field Notes
Engaging landowners with homemade feeders.
44 The Science of Birds
Recent updates about Longbilled Curlews, Snowy Plovers, and a Caribbean seabird.
46 The Art of Birds
Peruvian bird artist Omar Custodio.
48 The Cache
New books and other media about bird conservation.
49 Flock Talk
Wear your support for ABC, upcoming events, and more.
50 Field of View
A saltmarsh soliloquy.
Cover photo Pyrrhuloxia in Sabino Canyon, Tucson, Arizona by Mick Thompson
Blue-gray Tanager
Greg Homel/Natural Elements Productions (top)
Chirps
What we’re hearing from ABC members and friends.
Good Wishes
Late last year, ABC and our partner Re:wild announced the inaugural Afrofuturism Collective, a new effort to influence conservation and habitat stewardship. (Read more about it on pages 38-39.) Our LinkedIn post about it prompted this reply:
This is so cool! I can’t wait to read about what becomes of [the] Afrofuturism Collective!
Penny Billheimer
Protecting Prairie-Chickens
A February post about Congressional efforts to permanently remove the Lesser Prairie-Chicken from the Endangered Species Act generated several comments on our Facebook page, including:
In the short-term, this is of course going to be a courtroom showdown. For the long-term, the only thing that is going to make a difference for the future of
grassland birds is to get more folks consuming “grass only” beef that is raised on ranching operations with some ecologically sustainable benchmarks. So we need the right education initiative if there is to be any hope of changing critical consumer behavior that can positively impact conservation.
Eric Harrold
For the Love of Birds
On Valentine’s Day, we asked our Bird of the Week email recipients, “Why do you love birds?” Here’s one of the many answers we received:
Since I was a child in the suburbs of Philadelphia, my mom always fed the birds. I was instilled by this simple act with the wonderment and purity of seeing and hearing birds. How they fit into the dynamics of the environment has motivated me to be a strong advocate and promoter of a clean environment. I absolutely love providing nesting boxes
for cavity nesters and educating people about the importance of a healthy forest with dead or dying trees. Hawk migration is a miracle of nature that is not to be missed. There is so much. I can’t imagine a world without our feathered friends. What a dismal and depressing world it would be. Thank you.
Susan Wheeler
Let’s hear from you!
Share your thoughts about our magazine, emails, or online content at magazine@abcbirds.org. Please include your full name and location. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Note: Opinions expressed are those of the authors.
Scarlet Tanager
Now More Than Ever, We Must Defend Birds
Along with everyone in the environmental community, American Bird Conservancy is experiencing unprecedented challenges. But as you know, when the going gets tough, ABC gets tougher. In March, we posted the following statement to reconfirm our support for partners and commitment to our mission during this difficult time. I’d like to share ABC’s statement in full with you below reflecting our continued resolve.
The 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report was released recently, documenting continued declines in most American bird populations. This follows research released in 2019 and co-authored by American Bird Conservancy, that showed that the continent had already lost 3 billion breeding birds since 1970.
Right now, just as the State of the Birds tells us that birds are clearly in deep trouble, the infrastructure that supports birds and all nature is under unprecedented threat, including the very laws, agencies, funding, and people who make bird conservation possible in the first place.
Birds are indicators of the health of our environment, which impacts all of nature, and ultimately every American. Birding, backyard bird-feeding, wildlife watching, and hunting are among our most popular pastimes, and more than half of all Americans are involved in one or more of these activities, generating more than $279 billion for the U.S. economy annually. We cannot hope to restore bird populations and conserve nature without the maintenance of the laws that protect birds and their habitats, and an increase in support for conservation programs.
American Bird Conservancy stands for bold action to support bird and habitat conservation. We value, care deeply about, and stand up for science and for our partners, whether these are federal or state agencies and their staff, or bird groups across the U.S. and Latin America. We care about and work on behalf of endangered species, clean water, and the need to plan land use to avoid harm to sensitive sites and bird refuges. We stand with everyone who
appreciates and values birds and nature. In the 30 years since American Bird Conservancy was founded, we have conserved more than 10 million acres of habitat for more than 3,000 bird species, working with a vast range of collaborators from American ranchers and forest owners, to Latin American communities and policymakers. These actions are good for birds and nature — and help to slow and reverse bird declines. They are also good for our health and good for the economy.
We always have and always will resist initiatives that seek to undermine the fundamental protections, funding, and resources allocated to conserve birds and nature, which are beloved by all Americans and contribute so greatly to our environmental and economic health. We look forward to continuing our work with partners and policymakers to defend birds, restore bird populations and habitats, and maintain a healthy environment for everyone. American Bird Conservancy commits to doing everything in our power to ensure that bird conservation continues to support birds, nature, and people — through current challenges and long into the future.
Thank you for your support.
Michael J. Parr President
Golden-winged Warbler
The Delightful Desert Cardinal
The deserts of the American Southwest and northern Mexico are home to the Pyrrhuloxia, a feisty bird with a sweet song that is colloquially known as the Desert Cardinal.
The name Pyrrhuloxia is derived from genus names for Eurasia’s bullfinches (Pyrrhula) and the crossbills (Loxia) — the roots of which in Greek mean “fire” and “oblique.” So the name fits a fiery red-tinged gray bird with a rounded bill, even if it’s a bit tricky to pronounce.
Males are mostly gray accented by a rosered crest, face, belly, and wing and tail feathers. Females lack the red face and belly and are duller than males. The Pyrrhuloxia’s diet includes seeds, fruits, and large insects such as grasshoppers and beetles. It can be a suburban bird, visiting backyards, typically early in the morning or late in the day; sunflower seeds and peanuts served on hopper or tray feeders or on the ground are favorites.
Like its relative, the Northern Cardinal, the Pyrrhuloxia is nonmigratory. The Pyrrhuloxia’s range overlaps with that of the Northern Cardinal, but the Desert Cardinal prefers drier habitats like thorn scrub, mesquite thickets, and brushy desert stream and creek beds. As with other birds of the American Southwest, including the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, and Least Bell’s Vireo, the Pyrrhuloxia is vulnerable to habitat loss.
ABC has long advocated for southwestern habitats, including Arizona’s San Pedro River, one of the last major undammed rivers in the American Southwest. In the Big Bend region of Texas, ABC has worked with landowners and managers to create and safeguard artificial and enhanced wetlands for birds and other wildlife. And our BirdScapes program conserves import-
ant southwestern riparian habitats through the Rio Grande Joint Venture, which works in a variety of priority habitats for many migratory and resident birds, including the Pyrrhuloxia.
While habitat loss is the species’ biggest threat, feral and domestic cats sometimes kill Pyrrulhoxias, and as seed-eaters often found in croplands, the birds are threatened by pesticides, especially neonicotinoids. ABC’s Cats Indoors and Pesticides programs remain steadfast in their work to help address these issues. After all, a guiding principle of bird conservation is to keep common birds like the Pyrrhuloxia common. A delightful bird like the Desert Cardinal deserves nothing less.
Population: 3 million
IUCN Status: Least Concern
Trend: Decreasing
Habitat: Open desert and scrub, dry streambeds, riparian corridors.
Other Names: Cardenal desértico (Spanish), Cardinal pyrrhuloxia (French)
Pyrrhuloxia Cardinalis sinuatus
Your New Magazine
Welcome to a freshly redesigned and reimagined Bird Conservation magazine! Over the last several months, we have developed a new look for our flagship publication as well as plenty of new content. This coincides with a forthcoming redesigned website, abcbirds.org.
With this issue, we are introducing several sections that will be included in each issue going
forward. Among them are profiles of a bird (“In Focus”) and a habitat (“The Stopover”) that ABC works to conserve.
We also have new sections about scientific findings about birds, bird art, bird-related media, and “Together for Birds,” ABC’s work that ensures everyone is welcomed to bird conservation. You’ll also find tips on bird-friendly living and bird advocacy,
Surprising Kirtland’s Warbler Find in The Bahamas
In March, Michael Akresh, an ABC-supported researcher from Antioch University, traveled to Rum Cay, a 30-square-mile island in the central Bahamas, to look for wintering Kirtland’s Warblers. In only a few days, he and his field assistant found 17 of the birds scattered at 10 locations — the first-ever verified record of North America’s rarest warbler species from the island.
“Given many Kirtland’s detections on adjacent islands and geolocator tracking findings in past studies, I wasn’t completely surprised to find at least a few on Rum Cay,” Akresh said. “However, the sheer number we found, in only a few days of surveys, was very exciting, and the habitat in certain parts of the island was ideal: lots of wild sage fruit and a high freshwater table.”
brief stories from our talented field staff, and “Flock Talk,” a page about events we’re attending, ABC merch, and more.
And at the end of the issue is “Field of View,” a column from a thought leader in the conservation world. We’re thrilled that acclaimed author J. Drew Lanham has written the first installment.
We hope you enjoy the new Bird Conservation!
Feel free to send us your feedback via email to magazine@abcbirds.org.
The abundant food and water on the cay were a positive sign for the warbler, he added, but they also likely contributed to the swarms of mosquitoes that plagued the researchers.
“Rum Cay is difficult to get to and has a human population of no more than 40 people,” said Steve Roels, ABC’s Kirtland’s Warbler Program Director and Conservation Team Coordinator. “While the island is quite small, finding Kirtland’s Warblers in this kind of abundance suggests that the island may hold a disproportionate slice of the wintering population of this globally rare bird.”
For the last few years, Akresh and collaborators
at The Bahamas National Trust have been working on an ABC-supported habitat mapping project to refine scientific understanding of the warbler’s winter distribution in The Bahamas. “Once we better know where the birds are concentrated and areas that are likely to remain quality habitat in the future, ABC can work with Bahamian partners to effectively protect and possibly manage those areas,” Roels added.
Acknowledgement
ABC thanks the Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation for its support of our Kirtland’s Warbler program.
A Kirtland's Warbler nabs a wild sage berry in The Bahamas in March. The food is plentiful on the small island of Rum Cay.
Pyrrhuloxia
Jamie Jacob (left); Mick Thompson (right)
Survey: U.S. Birder Population Doubles
No fewer than 96 million Americans who were at least 16 years old watched birds in 2022, according to a study released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in November 2024. Nearly all of them — 91 million, which is 35 percent of the population — enjoyed birds at or close to home. The number of Americans who
birded a mile or more away from home amounted to 43 million, the study reports.
The data come from the 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, a federal survey conducted periodically since 1955 to measure Americans’ participation in hunting, fishing, and wildlife-watch-
ing. The 2022 results are based on detailed interviews with about 59,000 wildlife-watchers.
The 2022 estimate more than doubled the total of 45 million birders tallied in the previous study, conducted in 2016. The finding suggests that the widely reported spike of interest in birds and birding during
Four Lost Birds Rediscovered
Four birds lost to science have been reported found in recent months by the Search for Lost Birds, a global partnership between ABC, Re:wild, and BirdLife International.
In September 2023, Manuel Weber found a group of Black-lored Waxbills, small seedeaters from the Democratic Republic of the Congo that
had been lost to science since 1950. His rediscovery, which was announced in December 2024 in the Bulletin of the African Bird Club, will help kickstart conservation actions on the bird’s behalf.
Also in Africa, birding tour guide Michael Mills found and photographed the Slender-tailed Cisticola in northeastern Angola in February 2024. The gray-brown songbird hadn’t been
the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 remained strong among Americans even after shelter-in-place orders had been lifted.
The report notes that birders spent $108 billion on equipment and travel in 2022, which contributed to 1.4 million jobs. When the researchers combined the expenditures with the employment income and tax revenue generated by birders, they found that birding’s total output to the economy is more than $279 billion.
The study did not estimate how much money birders donated to conservation groups, but the authors note that resource managers and policy makers can use the study “to demonstrate the economic might of birders.”
observed since 2010. Mills announced the finding earlier this year and is planning a tour to the same place this August in hopes of seeing it again.
Lastly, a group of four birders observed the Sira Barbet and Peruvian Solitaire in central Peru in July and August 2024. The two species were last recorded by ornithologists in 2013.
For more details about the recent rediscoveries, visit searchforlostbirds.org.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to The Constable Foundation and Kathleen Burger & Glen Gerada for supporting the Search for Lost Birds.
Birdwatchers observe shorebirds at Copper River Delta, Alaska.
Ron Niebrugge/Alamy (top); Michael Mills/Go-away-birding (bottom)
Slender-tailed Cisticola
Proposed Rocket Test Site Threatens Seabirds
In April, ABC requested that the U.S. Air Force reconsider a proposal to build and operate two rocket landing pads on Johnston Atoll, home to nearly 1.5 million seabirds of 15 species, including the world’s largest colony of the Red-tailed Tropicbird.
Johnston Atoll is one of the most isolated coral reef atoll formations in the world, located approximately 715 nautical miles southwest of the island of Hawaiʻi. For nearly a century, it has served various roles for the United States, both as a military base and wildlife refuge. Today, it’s a rare bright spot for seabirds, which as a group have declined by more than 70 percent since 1950.
To learn more about the atoll, its birds and other wildlife, and the rocket pad proposal, visit abcbirds.org/Atoll.
No Doubt: Neonics Harm Birds
A meta-analysis of research about neonicotinoids published in October 2024 shows that birds suffer from the effects of the pesticides during all life stages and in a wide variety of situations, including when they eat food containing the pesticides.
“Our outcomes are pivotal to consider in future risk assessments and pesticide policy,” the researchers wrote in the journal
Five Years of SPLASh!
SPLASh (Stopping Plastics and Litter Along Shorelines) recently celebrated its fifth year helping to create cleaner
Ecology Letters. “Despite localized bans, the metabolites and residues of neonicotinoids remain present in the environment and in birds and will thus have long-lasting direct effects on both the individual and the population levels.”
ABC and other conservation partners have advocated for limits on neonics for more than a decade. The European Union banned three of
habitats for coastal birds and other wildlife in Texas. ABC, Black Cat GIS, and Gulf Coast Bird Observatory launched the program in 2020 to address overlapping trash pollution and wildlife conservation problems along the Texas coast.
Here’s a rundown of the program by the numbers:
• Nearly 24,000 volunteers, including 8,600+ students
• 55,000+ pounds of trash removed from coastal and bay habitats in the greater Houston-Galveston region
the chemicals in 2018. In the U.S., some states have restricted their use.
“Neonicotinoids negatively impact every aspect of bird life and survival,” said Hardy Kern, ABC’s Director of Government Relations, Birds and Pesticides Campaign. “Every. Single. Aspect. This groundbreaking new study looks at 49 studies and 1,612 specific experimental outcomes to reach the unequivocal conclusion that neonics harm birds. Innovative agricultural solutions, policies, and laws are needed now more than ever.”
Acknowledgement
Thanks to the Carroll Petrie Foundation and the Raines Family Fund for supporting our Birds and Pesticides Campaign.
“We are so proud of all the students and community members involved and can’t thank them enough for their ongoing dedication to the bird conservation movement and to creating a cleaner future for everyone,” said Chloe Dannenfelser, ABC ’s Texas Coastal Outreach Coordinator.
For more information visit splashtx.org
Liz Virgil of the SPLASh team represents at a local event.
Bobolink
Red-tailed Tropicbirds
Meghan Cassidy, CC BY-SA 4.0 (top left); Mircea Costina/Shutterstock (top middle); ABC (bottom)
Feathered Resilience
Wisdom, the oldest known wild bird in the world, is raising a chick on Midway Atoll again this spring. The Mōlī (Laysan Albatross) is believed to be at least 74 years old in 2025. She was banded as an adult in December 1956, when she would have been at least six years old. Biologists estimate that Wisdom has produced 50-60 eggs in her life and that as many as 30 of her chicks have fledged. You go, girl!
Going to Court for Scrub-Jays
In March, a federal judge in Florida granted a request from ABC and three other conservation nonprofits to intervene as defendants on the side of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a suit seeking to remove Endangered Species Act protection of the Florida ScrubJay. The species, which is only found in Florida, has been listed as Threatened under the law since 1987,
and its population continues to decline, principally because of habitat loss.
The plaintiff in the case wants to build a house in scrub-jay critical habitat and has sued for a court order that the bird’s listing under the act is unconstitutional because it exists only in Florida. The plaintiff claims that Congress has no power to authorize the listing of a single-state
species. If the court agrees, the result could be the delisting of more than threefourths of the species listed under the act — about 1,230 birds, mammals, plants, and other species.
“This species, found nowhere else on Earth, is in real trouble, but it isn’t too late to save it,” said Michael J. Parr, ABC President. “Florida was the state where the most recent mainland bird extinction in the United States happened back in 1987 when we lost the Dusky Seaside Sparrow. Let’s not allow another iconic Florida species to go the same way.”
ABC and its co-plaintiffs are represented by Earthjustice, a premier nonprofit public interest environmental law organization.
Bird City Texas Honors Galveston
Earlier this year, Bird City Texas, a part of the Bird City Network initiative led by ABC and Environment for the Americas, recognized the coastal city of Galveston as the first city in Texas to achieve the prestigious Bird City High-Flyer status. Galveston’s newly acquired status is thanks to a collaboration between ABC, Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council, and other local partners. It promotes bird conservation
and creates healthier communities for both people and birds throughout Galveston Island. Learn more about Galveston’s many bird-focused efforts that earned its High-Flyer honor at abcbirds.org/Galveston or by visiting its Bird City page at birdcity.org/texas/ galveston.
Acknowledgement
Thanks to the Felburn Foundation for its support of ABC’s work in Galveston.
The American Oystercatcher is one of more than 300 bird species that have been recorded in Galveston, Texas.
Florida Scrub-Jay Wisdom
New Protected Areas
Added in Ecuador, Peru
ABC is thrilled to have supported the creation of two more protected areas for birds — one in Ecuador and another in Peru.
The newly declared 518-acre Ridgely Reserve in Selva Alegre, Ecuador, is a vital sanctuary for the Endangered Red-faced Parrot and other threatened species. It harbors the largest known population of the parrot, which has a global population of less than 2,400 individuals.
Named in honor of world-renowned ornithologist Robert Ridgely, a champion of bird conservation, Rainforest Trust board member, and co-founder of Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco, the new
reserve represents a major step forward in protecting Ecuador’s rich biodiversity. Although the area has not been fully explored, more than 90 bird species have been recorded at the site, which is in southern Ecuador’s Chilla Mountain Range and joins Jocotoco’s network of 18 reserves.
The reserve is also part of the broader Conserva Aves effort, led by ABC, National Audubon Society, BirdLife International, Birds Canada, and the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Environmental Funds (RedLAC), and supported by the Bezos Earth Fund. The initiative aims to support more than 100 new sub-
national protected areas in Latin America and the Caribbean totaling at least 4.9 million acres.
“The creation of the Ridgley Reserve will help ensure the Red-faced Parrot thrives by improving habitat connectivity, while also providing a healthier environment for local communities,” said Marcelo F. Tognelli, International Project Officer at ABC.
The other new reserve is in the Peruvian port city of Talara. In late 2024, its mayor and municipal council approved a plan to protect a 123-acre property known as Quebrada Yale. The new protected area, which is in a valley that bisects the city, provides critical support for the conservation of the Peruvian Plantcutter, a Vulnerable species of cotinga found only in the dry coastal valleys of northwestern Peru.
ABC’s Peruvian partners SOS Cortarrama Peruano and ECOAN have worked
for many years to restore habitat for the plantcutter, particularly in Talara. Other birds that occur in Quebrada Yale include the Vulnerable Rufous Flycatcher and the Near Threatened Red-masked Parakeet
“There is still a lot of work to be done with Quebrada Yale, and even more to conserve other areas in Talara province, but we’re very happy with this first reserve in what is a critical area for the long-term survival of the species,” said Jeremy Flanagan, director of SOS Cortarrama Peruano. “We are currently engaging with local authorities, petroleum companies, even the Peruvian Air Force, in this daunting challenge to save the plantcutter and its unique habitat in Talara.”
Acknowledgments
Thanks to the Bezos Earth Fund, Kathleen Burger & Glen Gerada, and George Powell for supporting the Ridgely Reserve.
James Muchmore (top); Jeremy Flanagan/SOS Cortarrama Peruano (bottom)
Peruvian Plantcutter
Red-faced Parrot
warmth, their paths winding toward the Chihuahuan Desert and beyond.
Yet this vast expanse is shrinking — only fragments remain, scattered remnants of what once was. Fields of grain replace the native grasses, and unwelcome invaders, like cheatgrass, creep in. To turn the tide, conservation organizations, including ABC, have stepped up. We work on behalf of mixed grass prairies and their birds in two primary regions: the Northern Great Plains BirdScapes in Montana and the Dakotas, and through the Oaks and Prairies Joint Venture BirdScapes in Texas. In both
areas, we’re helping landowners implement conservation practices and improve grasslands one acre at a time. With time and care, the prairie may once again rise, wild and full of song.
As grasslands decline, so do the birds relying on them. Read about five species facing uncertain futures. abcbirds.org/Plight
Birds of the mixed grass prairie include the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (above), Sprague’s Pipit (left) and Chestnut-collared Longspur (lower left).
A mixed grass prairie blooms at Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge in Kansas.
Danita Delimont/Shutterstock (top); Jacob Spendelow (bottom)
What Does It Mean To Take Bold Action For Birds?
It means persevering through challenges. It means advocating for — and creating — solutions to serious threats. It means innovating to meet the most urgent needs of birds, today.
Thanks to dedicated supporters like you, American Bird Conservancy has delivered more than 30 years of bird conservation results. Working with a vast range of collaborators, we’ve conserved more than 10 million acres and provided habitat for more than 3,000 bird species — roughly 30 percent of the world’s total.
But birds are still in trouble — and now, even the future of their conservation is at risk. Threats to bedrock bird conservation policy like the Endangered Species Act are exposing critical bird habitats to degradation and reducing or eliminating funding for essential conservation programs, jeopardizing protections for our most vulnerable birds including the Lesser Prairie-Chicken, Marbled Murrelet, and Florida Scrub-Jay.
Birds need us to be bold more than ever before. Will you help American Bird Conservancy take Bold Action for Birds with a gift today? With your generous support, we can take action where birds need it most, including:
• Bold Action for Endangered Birds by ensuring protected habitat for the Redfaced Parrot and other rare species.
• Bold Action for Migratory Birds by working across landscapes to provide Bicknell’s Thrush, Laysan Albatross, and many more with the habitats they need.
• Bold Action for ALL Birds by advocating for bird-friendly policy and reducing the toll of human activities on birds, including glass collisions, free-roaming cats, pesticides, and more.
Thanks to a generous match from The Richard and Anna Marie Rosen Charitable Foundation, all gifts made by ABC supporters willing to give over and above their usual support through June 30 will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $200,000!
Bold Action. It’s what birds need. It’s what they deserve. And with your help, it’s what American Bird Conservancy will continue to deliver.
Please give generously today so that together, we can take Bold Action for Birds across the Americas.
Use the enclosed envelope, scan the code, or visit: abcbirds.org/BoldForBirds
Generating Returns for Birds
ABC’s new BirdsPlus program is changing the conservation funding model and broadening scientific understanding of birds in Latin America and the Caribbean
by Molly Toth
The Critically Endangered Great Green Macaw, which is found in scattered sites from Honduras to western Colombia, benefits from a BirdsPlus project that supports sustainable rubber plantations in Costa Rica. Ondrej Prosicky/Shutterstock
Conservation Made in the Shade
Where that Wood Thrush landed — a sustainable rubber plantation in Costa Rica — happens to be one of dozens of places where the rubber meets the road for BirdsPlus, one of many proving grounds for the bold ideas that power the program.
When a Wood Thrush is settling in for the breeding season, she will have a very particular set of criteria to suit her nesting needs: the perfect crook in the branches of a tree, just enough canopy cover, and below, a buffet of invertebrates in the leaf litter. Returning south, she is less discerning. The thrush, like most migratory forest birds, can get by in a mosaic of protected native forest and working lands, even a patch of rubber trees, with a mix of tree cover during the northern winter, so long as there is food and shelter.
This approach — using native shade trees along with a crop like rubber, cacao, or spices — is one of ABC’s conservation practices that help farms and ranches transition from using techniques that degrade the land to bird-friendly alternatives that enhance habitat for birds. As these practices are adopted by more local farmers and companies, that patchwork of degraded lands gets a little greener.
Habitat Conservation’s Secret Ingredient
For many birds, including Wood Thrushes, the Caribbean coast of Guatemala is the first land they will see after their incredible nonstop migration across the open ocean. In recent decades, the view hasn’t always been the best: after years of overuse, whether from growing full-sun monocrops or overgrazing, forest cover is reduced, habitat has degraded, and soil has eroded. ABC and partner FUNDAECO are working with landowners to breathe new life into these working lands, to bring some spice to degraded landscapes. Really — they’re planting spices.
Starting in 2018, FUNDAECO began planting cardamom, a fragrant and versatile spice, alongside nearly 30,000 native hardwood trees
on 60 acres of former pastureland. In these early years, a tree from the pea family (Gliricidia sepium) helped to revive the soil and provide shade for the young plants. In 2022, the cardamom crops turned a profit, enabling FUNDAECO to start paying back the loan that helped them get started. Birds are benefiting, too: ABC staff have found Summer Tanagers, Olive-sided Flycatchers, and Wood Thrushes wintering in the newly restored habitat. It’s just one example of bird conservation paying off.
Stretching Toward Sustainability
Rubber trees and the sticky sap they produce are the building blocks for endless products, everything from tennis balls and shoe soles to medical supplies and car tires. Unfortunately, meeting global demand has put the squeeze on wildlife. Over the last century, countless acres of forest have been cleared to make room for rubber. There’s a role for rubber in the future of conservation, though. A study in Guatemala supported by ABC showed that rubber trees cultivated using bird-friendly best management
Florentino Portales, the founder and CEO of Cacao Miskito, a BirdsPlus partner, stands in a cacao farm in Honduras.
Andrés Anchondo
2022 2024
restore and enhance their farms also provides them with fruits that contribute to their families’ food security. It eliminates the need for farmers to turn to other sources of income, like cutting forest for unsustainable ranching.
A Home for Birds On the Range
When it comes to ranching in the tropics, “living fences” (planting trees in place of fence posts to demarcate grazing areas) can provide bird habitat where it’s necessary to maintain more open areas for livestock. Living fences, in addition to connecting and creating bird habitat, can even make dairy cattle more productive. Cows experiencing heat stress produce less milk. But cows that can graze and rest in the shade, like those at a sustainable ranching project in Honduras that ABC is supporting, are less stressed. In grassland regions where tree cover
is naturally absent or limited, ABC recommends ranchers use bird-friendly practices such as rotational grazing and the establishment of small dedicated conservation areas to benefit birds and other wildlife.
Planting Seeds, Scaling Up
With ABC’s support and advice, farmers and ranchers in Latin America and the Caribbean are beginning to undo decades of damage. These practices can restore acreage and create habitats that can accommodate birds and enhance the functioning of working lands. ABC has invested its own funds in a series of projects like these to show that bird-friendly practices can make a tangible difference and give other investors the confidence that they, too, can do something good for birds, biodiversity, climate, and communities, and make money.
Photos taken from the same spot on a Guatemalan cardamom farm over a five-year period show the growth of bird-friendly native forest among the spice plants.
Andrés Anchondo (3)
regularly broadcast distinctive vocalizations that can be identified in sound recordings.
The BirdsPlus Index is using dozens of autonomous acoustic recording units (ARUs) to “eavesdrop” on birds from afar. The ARUs, deployed at sites where bird-friendly practices are being implemented, can record hundreds of thousands of hours, capturing the sounds of wildlife within “earshot.” That treasure trove of trills and chirps is analyzed by artificial intelligence (AI) models developed for bird sound recognition. The AI models parse species-specific vocalizations. When analyzed alongside ecological data on the species in the recordings and remote sensing data like satellite imagery, ABC can gain insight into the biodiversity present at a given site and how this changes over time.
The index will be put to the test measuring the success of ABC’s projects, not only in the moment but over a length of time. The ARUs the BirdsPlus Index uses will pick up the sounds of the environment changing with every conservation action on the coffee farms and cattle ranches where bird-friendly practices are introduced.
“BirdsPlus shows that working landscapes, if managed well, can support many of the species that are declining rapidly,” said Eliot Miller, BirdsPlus Index Manager at ABC. “By using the BirdsPlus Index to help quantify the value of our investments in habitat management, we hope to reverse these declines before it’s too late.”
The BirdsPlus Index is in the research and development phase, its data-sampling methods and scoring system still being refined and perfected. But even at this early stage, the ARUs are gathering astounding amounts of data. In a recent survey of the Hevea rubber plantation project in Costa Rica, they captured more than 4.5 years’ worth of audio data from regenerating pastures and adjacent forests. Initial screening by AI models followed by manual human verification clocked at least 30 migratory birds, Broad-winged Hawk and Cerulean Warbler among them. The data collected here will help the BirdsPlus Index establish its baseline for the site, against which future recordings following more conservation improvements can be measured.
The BirdsPlus Index aims to simplify the process of measuring biodiversity, an undertaking that has historically been extremely time- and resource-intensive, requiring a heavy presence in the field and meticulous data collection. ABC will be using the index to evaluate the success of its own projects, but the program has potential for wider application, making measuring biodiversity more affordable and accessible than ever.
Thinking Bigger and Bolder
Migratory birds exist on a grand scale, covering thousands of miles each year, spanning countries and continents. The Wood Thrush spotted in the springtime in New York City’s Central Park may later come to rest in a rubber plantation in Costa Rica, catching the eye of a farmer tending to saplings nearby. Those unwitting connections are just a small part of why birds mean so much to so many and why their survival is so necessary.
BirdsPlus is proving, acre by acre, that bird conservation can offer another kind of connection — a fruitful one — between disparate places and people. The seeds are planted. Now it’s a matter of scaling up, of thinking as big as a migratory bird’s journey is long.
Molly Toth is ABC’s Writer/Editor. She has been writing about nature and conservation for a decade and holds a Master of Arts in biology.
Acknowledgments
ABC thanks the Jeniam Foundation, the Knobloch Family Foundation, Raj Lingam, Wedgetail Foundation, and Connie and Jeff Woodman for their support of BirdsPlus.
The BirdsPlus Revolving Fund helps ABC connect farmers and investors to scale up bird-friendly projects. If you’d like to learn more and support these efforts, please reach out to Holly Robertson, ABC’s Deputy Director of Development, at HRobertson@abcbirds.org.
The fire-red Summer Tanager is among the species found at a BirdsPlus-funded cardamom farm in Guatemala.
Treasure Hunt
How a young birder added the five rarest bird species in the continental United States to his life list
by Killian Sullivan
As a 13-year-old birder, it feels like I have an eternity to see the birds of North America. Yet the reality is that many bird populations are declining, making the quest to see them more urgent. When I first read a 2022 ABC blog post titled “The Five Rarest Birds of the Continental U.S.,” it felt like I had found a treasure map guiding me toward adventures and avian jewels. My family and I soon hatched a plan to seek out all five species in the places they call home.
The journey began in my home state of Ohio at the Biggest Week in American Birding festival. It was my first spring migration as a birder, and our friend, Ben Warner, insisted we travel to the state’s northwest corner to witness the wonderful warblers that take a break before crossing Lake Erie. He planned an ambitious day: the Magee Marsh boardwalk, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Howard Marsh Metropark, Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area, and Maumee Bay State Park.
Writer Killian Sullivan first saw a Kirtland’s Warbler in May 2022 at Magee Marsh in Ohio.
Ron Austing
partial bans or lead abatement programs. These laws combined with conservation efforts have shown promise, despite continued risks, including ingestion of microtrash and powerline electrocution. More than 560 condors are alive today, and nearly two-thirds of them fly free in the skies of Arizona, California, Utah, and Baja California, Mexico. The condor’s long road to recovery continues to this day, and it was truly an honor to see a few of the giant birds soar above Zion’s limestone cliffs.
High-Stepping Beauties
We celebrated the winter holidays three days after our condor experience. My parents gifted me a
card with an illustrated Whooping Crane. Inside, I found tickets for a boating charter through Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, near the Texas Gulf coast. I carefully read the date and learned we were stopping in the Lone Star State on our return drive. A few days later at dawn, our family boarded a small boat donning life jackets and wide eyes. We first paused at a shoal occupied by scurrying shorebirds, including five species of plover: Black-bellied, Piping, Semipalmated, Snowy, and Wilson’s. It was incredible to see these related birds and carefully compare their bills, legs, and mantles.
As the boat continued north into the refuge, our dreams became reality. A family of Whooping Cranes emerged from the reeds — two white adults with a rusty-toned juvenile. The tall and elegant birds moved with grace while high-stepping through the water. I noted the beautiful colors that contrasted their over-
all white appearance: maroon crown and mustache stripes, glistening orange eyes, and black highlights painting the head and wings. That morning, our captain found 22 Whooping Cranes around the marsh, and we enjoyed seeing them fly, forage, and sunbathe.
It was the perfect day and one that would have been impossible without the concerted efforts of conservationists. After substantial habitat loss and overhunting in the 1800s and early 1900s, the migrating population approached single digits by the 1940s. This flock, and the descendants we viewed by boat, winter at and around Aransas and breed in Canada’s Wood Buffalo National Park. A second nonmigrating population lived in Louisiana but was killed and scattered by a hurricane.
In the eight decades that followed, several captive breeding programs were established across the United States and Canada. Rearing young in
Two adult Whooping Cranes forage with their rusty-colored juvenile at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. Killian saw a family of three Whoopers in December 2022 at the refuge.
Scott Carpenter
captivity proved difficult, but innovations like Sandhill Crane adoptive parenting and migrations led by ultralight aircraft improved outcomes. Today, the species is listed as Endangered, and the population, including captive birds and experimental flocks (such as one in Louisiana), has grown to about 820. North America’s tallest bird stands on the shoulders of those who advocated for its survival and conservation. As our boat turned south for our return, we heard the cranes’ trumpet-like calls echo across the bay at a volume that surely exceeded those of prior decades.
The Rarest Weird Chicken
The Gulf of Mexico brought us warm weather and brilliant birds. Our next trip promised equally impressive species, and a dramatically cooler climate. I had finally convinced my parents to embark on a “Weird Chicken Trip” through Colorado and Kansas. I wrote an
eight-day itinerary with hopes to see prairie-chickens, grouse, ptarmigans, and the rarest of chickens — the Gunnison Sage-Grouse.
To view the treasure of Gunnison County, Colorado, we enrolled in the Sisk-a-dee Program that paired an evening lecture at Western Colorado University with a morning lek observation at the Waunita Watchable Wildlife Site. Managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), the site is one of the most reliable places to spot the species. Professor Patrick Magee and his researchers detailed the species’ biology, threats, and conservation efforts. A specialist of sagebrush plains, the grouse has disappeared from 90 percent of its former range. Its habitat has been lost to roads, powerlines, oil drilling, overgrazing by livestock, and rural development, while other areas battle troublesome plants like cheatgrass and even the native western juniper. These are active challenges, and unlike the other birds featured in ABC’s blog post, the sage-grouse
population is declining. Several stakeholders, including local and federal organizations, are protecting and restoring habitat, hoping to expand the range and support more birds. The international Red List classifies the grouse, which has a population of fewer than 4,000 individuals, as Endangered.
Our lecture ended, and we went to bed early that evening. CPW has strict protocols for observing the lek, including arriving an hour before sunrise. Under the light of the moon, we carefully walked from our cars and assembled in the blind — our frigid home for the next four hours. Wearing a cap and thick gloves, I aimed my spotting scope northeast toward a stand of willows. Here, I enjoyed the rhythmic dancing and impulsive stomping of the male display. I loved watching the birds inflate their yellow air sacs, then fling their heads violently with their ornate crest feathers in tow. When the sun had cleared the horizon, the dances ended, and the birds left to rest and
A Gunnison SageGrouse performs its breeding dance on a snowy sage-covered field in Colorado. Killian observed the species in April 2024 at the Waunita Watchable Wildlife Site in Gunnison County.
Noppadol Paothong
forage. We counted 41 birds in flight, representing a significant percentage of their entire population. It was a morning to remember.
An Island Endemic
At this stage of my young birding career, I had seen nearly 600 species throughout the United States and Canada. The warbler, condor, crane, and grouse were among my proudest on the list. The last bird from ABC’s article was the farthest from Ohio and required a flight, rental car, boat, and hike to reach. I worried it might take years to return to the West, but my parents were working on a surprise. I had longed to return to Arizona during monsoon season to see hummingbirds, Elegant Trogon, Five-striped Sparrow, Montezuma Quail, and others. That July, I would have the opportunity to complete this
trip with a bonus. From Tucson, we would drive to the coast and sail to Santa Cruz Island and its famous jay. The 20 marine miles from Ventura to Channel Islands National Park were magical. We saw alcids, shearwaters, and a family of blue whales. On the island, we turned our attention to the Island Scrub-Jay.
The Island Scrub-Jay is endemic to Santa Cruz Island and has a population of roughly 1,700 birds. It is the most range-restricted bird north of Mexico, since the island is only 96 square miles. The population is considered stable, but threats exist, including its small range, climate change, and the potential for natural disasters like wildfire and disease-carrying mosquitoes. To combat these challenges, scientists are exploring Santa Rosa Island as a potential site for a second population. This solution was proposed
after scrub-jay fossils were discovered on the island. The birds may have been residents as late as the 19th century. It was exciting to learn the history, and I was anxious to see one for myself.
Our boat made land at Prisoners Harbor — a single pier centered on the north side of Santa Cruz Island. After instructions from park staff, we had half a day to hike the trails, explore the scenery, and encounter an Island Scrub-Jay. We began our adventure by hiking to Pelican Bay on switchbacks that overlooked the vast Pacific. It was here that the curious corvids introduced themselves. Large and blue with dark masks, the birds followed us through a combination of wingbeats and hops. We enjoyed listening to their harsh calls and seeing their outstretched wings as they soared between trees. The Island Scrub-Jay was penned into my life list at 632, but
Waiting in the Wings
Worldwide, more than 50 types of birds await formal scientific recognition, potentially causing delays in prioritizing their conservation by Daniel
J. Lebbin
It’s no secret that many birders keep lists of the birds we’ve observed, from a life list of all the birds one has seen or heard, to country, state, county, and yard lists for keeping tabs on where we’ve tallied certain species. And many of us know a birder or two who keep esoteric lists, like species seen only, or birds heard while walking the dog.
Some of us even have lists of birds we’ve encountered but can’t (yet) count on other lists because they sit in taxonomic limbo. They’re
either “unrecognized species” (birds that have been described in papers by scientists but are not ratified by ornithological authorities) or “undescribed forms” (birds that resemble known species and could represent a new subspecies or full species if and when they are scientifically described).
In late 2004 and early 2005 in central and eastern Peru, I saw three such birds, two of which are now recognized as species while the other remains an undescribed form.
The undescribed “Puntarenas” Screech-Owl is primarily found in southern Costa Rica.
Luke Seitz
The first is now known as the Rufous Twistwing, a tyrant flycatcher (now) found in Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. When my field team and I observed it repeatedly for a week in October 2004 in a bamboo forest in eastern Peru, the bird was in the process of being described by others. A paper was published in 2007 in the journal The Auk declaring it a unique species, and my team’s observations contributed to another paper on the species published in 2008 in the Wilson Journal of Ornithology.
front of the crown and bright white eyebrows. They appear to be closely related to Inca and Gray-browed Wrens and currently are known unofficially as “Mantaro Wren (undescribed form).” Users of eBird, the online biodiversityrelated community science project managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, have tallied the wren 135 times since 2003 and have posted more than 30 photos and audio recordings.
Because these birds are not yet scientifically described, they often do not get the attention they deserve from birders, researchers, and conservationists.
Over the next several months, while birding in the Andes Mountains, I photographed and made sound recordings of two different tapaculos — tiny, gray, almost mouse-like birds that are challenging to see because of their habit of staying low in dense vegetation. Fifteen years later, in 2020, researchers writing in The Auk unravelled the taxonomic challenges around tapaculos in the High Andes of Peru. They described three species: the Jalca Tapaculo (which I observed in January 2005), Ampay Tapaculo (which I observed in November 2004), and White-winged Tapaculo (which I have not seen). I was thrilled that the authors used sound recordings I had gathered for their paper.
The day after observing the Jalca Tapaculo, I hiked a trail in a green gorge full of bamboo and located four or five wrens of the genus Pheugopedius that remain undescribed to this day. The birds are warm brown overall with gray at the
The wren is hardly alone as an avian mystery. Worldwide, eBird lists 56 undescribed forms of birds, 32 of which are found in the Americas (see sidebar, page 36). Because these birds are not yet scientifically described, they often do not get the attention they deserve from birders, researchers, and conservationists. Nevertheless, they represent an exciting research frontier in ornithology and present interesting questions and problems to resolve.
Currently, eBird also lists four “unrecognized species” (all from the Americas) that have been the focus of attempts to classify them. These four have not been ratified by a major ornithological committee either because they have not yet been evaluated or the committees have considered the species description and found it unpersuasive.
Describing the Undescribed
Academic and museum researchers traditionally write the papers that describe undescribed birds for science. Typically, a type specimen or series of specimens are used as a physical voucher and standard upon which further comparisons can be made. A description of a new species or subspecies is written up and published according to rules (“the
Code”) set forth by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, and then regional or global authorities (such as bird checklist committees) review the evidence to decide whether it’s adequate to support the published description and add the bird to their lists. Birders follow these checklists and other sources such as eBird to manage their observations and lists.
In recent decades, such species descriptions for birds have also used acoustic data to describe their vocalizations, genetics to describe their relatedness and distinctiveness from other closely related species, and timing of breeding, which can indicate if a population is likely to interbreed. Timing of breeding is especially important for cryptic seabirds because distinct but similarly appearing populations might breed on the same island during different seasons.
Because of the need for such different sources of data, species descriptions have become more collaborative between different researchers and institutions than perhaps they were decades ago. The more data needed, and more coor-
dination between collaborators, the more robust the resulting science is, but the descriptions can be delayed for years or even decades while the bird’s identity remains formally unrecognized.
More and more, via eBird, modern field guides, or other publications, undescribed forms are publicized and illustrated even if they’re not formally described, which encourages birders and researchers to seek them out and learn more about them while the important, complex, and often time-consuming process to formally describe new forms advances.
More to Find
Are there more undescribed forms that should be added to the list? Yes, and pelagic seabirds offer a good place to start. For example, researchers are in the process of revising the taxonomy of the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, which contains one undescribed form on the eBird list, and possibly more undescribed populations and described subspecies that could be elevated to full species in the future.
revealed when researchers study the genetics of widespread species, offering an opportunity to clarify avian relationships and describe new species. For example, in 2020, ornithologists detangled the complexities of South America’s Rufous and Chestnut Antpittas, splitting the two species into 15 species.
Islands may continue to harbor additional undescribed forms that may not yet be listed, and many of the forms listed by eBird outside the Americas are restricted to islands. Raising awareness of undescribed forms and unrecognized species allows the opportunity to learn more about them.
Looking for Patterns
Many more pelagic birds may qualify for this treatment. The White-faced and Dark-faced “forms” of Black-capped Petrel have been described, and some experts hypothesize they could be different species breeding in similar places but at different times of the year. Sufficient genetic studies to resolve the question have yet to be published, however. Undescribed forms are often
As noted earlier, 32 of the undescribed forms in eBird live in the Americas, and 24 live elsewhere. In the Americas, 21 of the 32 are among the suboscine families (tyrant flycatchers, antbirds, antpittas, ovenbirds, tapaculos) that are often more distinctive in their voice than their appearance, and usually skulk in dense habitat or forage high in the forest canopy, where observation by people is challenging.
Pelagic seabirds that forage far from people and come to remote islands at night to nest in underground burrows are even more challenging to observe. Distinguishing many of these forms would require either prior knowledge they exist or extensive awareness of similar species elsewhere that local birders might lack. Some of these forms also can
The Rufous Twistwing (above) and Jalca Tapaculo (below left) were once undescribed but now are recognized as species. Meanwhile, the “Mantaro” Wren (top right), “Mantaro” Thornbird (right), and “Pasco” Wood-Quail (bottom right) remain without official descriptions.
be found in places where little ornithological research has been done and where other endemic species are found. For example, Peru’s Mantaro River drainage in the eastern Andes supports three undescribed forms (a thornbird, spinetail, and the wren I saw in 2005), as well as regional endemics like the Black-spectacled Brushfinch (listed as Near Threatened). Similarly, Panama’s Azuero Peninsula is home to the Glow-throated Hummingbird (Endangered), endemic Azuero Parakeet (Vulnerable), and two undescribed forms (a mountain-gem and a warbler). And certain genera of birds, like the Synallaxis spinetails, Grallaria antpittas, and Herpsilochmus antwrens, diversified in striking ways across different mountains in the Andes and interfluves (areas divided by river barriers) of the Amazon.
Such patterns are broadly similar to patterns for described species.
Conserving
Undescribed Birds
How do we conserve undescribed forms of birds and ensure they don’t disappear? ABC has long aimed to conserve the rarest species, prioritizing globally threatened birds, including species that might be drab, uncharismatic, lost (undocumented
Hector Bottai/Wikimedia Commons (top left); Stephan Lorenz (3: top, middle, and lower right)
Where They’re Found
The online resource eBird lists the following 32 undescribed forms of birds and four unrecognized species of birds (shown in blue) from the Americas. They’re listed by country and include each form’s likely genus, according to current taxonomy, if ornithological authorities ever accept them as species or subspecies. For the unrecognized birds, their full proposed scientific names are listed.
over the last 10 years), or otherwise neglected. So, undescribed birds are in our wheelhouse, but undescribed forms and described subspecies are not evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Globally Threatened Species. Therefore, they often are not considered in global analyses or conservation priorities.
One solution is to encourage researchers to expedite descriptions of these forms. In some cases, lack of funding, appropriate data (specimens, genetic material, sound recordings), and other challenges are obstacles, delaying descriptions of these forms. (If you are a researcher sitting on such a description and somehow ABC can help push your work over the finish line, please let us know and we’ll consider it!)
ABC’s Marine program has financially supported research into an undescribed population of storm-petrel on São Tomé, which are now being described, and ABC has supported research and conservation into other isolated and distinct seabird populations that are not described or recognized as species yet.
Our work to conserve described species sometimes benefits undescribed forms. For example, ABC and multiple Colombian partners (Fundación Guanacas Bosques de Niebla, Neotropical Innovation, and Corporación SalvaMontes) are working together to protect habitat for the Critically Endangered Antioquia Brushfinch. Thankfully,
the undescribed “Paisa” Antpitta and a local described subspecies of Black-throated Flowerpiercer (which
conservation attention sooner. In the meantime, it’s worth recognizing that we still have lots to learn about
Certain geographies like Peru’s Mantaro Valley and Panama’s Azuero Peninsula contain numerous mystery birds.
may get elevated to full species status) both occur in the same area as the brushfinch, meaning our habitat protection for the brushfinch also helps these two other birds.
In Costa Rica, the “Puntarenas” Screech-Owl is an undescribed form that is currently conserved in multiple protected areas, including lands managed by Osa Conservation (an ABC partner we have assisted in land acquisition). Other undescribed forms may be conserved in existing protected areas, but some may not be.
ABC is working to identify priority needs for habitat protection of described species that are globally threatened, and once this is completed, we will take a closer look and similar approach to these undescribed forms. It will likely take many years for researchers to study and classify all the world’s undescribed birds, as has been done with the 11,000-plus known species, but some of these birds may require
many of the world’s birds — and that naming them is just one step toward understanding and conserving them.
Daniel J. Lebbin is ABC’s Vice President of Threatened Species. A lifelong birder, Lebbin holds a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University and has participated in field research projects throughout the Americas.
Colombia’s “Paisa” Antpitta (above right) lives in the same protected area inhabited by a subspecies of Black-throated Flowerpiercer (right) and other rare birds.
Santiago Chiquito Garcia (top); Yovany Ochoa (bottom)
Afrofuturism Collective member Mykah Scott’s illustration “Nested” may look like one image, but in fact it has many individual birds hidden within each other. “The idea,” Scott said, “is that nature is in everything, flight is in everything, and even when things seem like one whole, it’s the smaller pieces that really make it what it is.”
What are the Collective’s gatherings like? What are some key insights you have gained so far?
Binta: The Collective holds regular virtual meetings. The gatherings are a space to slow down and dream of new possibilities we can put into motion. These gatherings illuminate how important it is for us to include ourselves and our well-being as we work to regenerate and protect healthy ecosystems. Afrofuturism is a supportive lens to consider how culture and identity impact the ways we think of our positionality within the natural world. We are learning as a collective that the best way to understand Afrofuturism is to reflect on its current uses and ask questions. Through this process of inquiry, we can add to its intricate web by examining Earth stewardship practices found across the Diaspora, considering what aspects of those practices are useful now, and imagining how we can build upon them for future stability, harmony, and community health.
Afrofuturism asks us to pull forward practices from the past and consider how they can be adapted for present-day and future use. I hope that having technical and
A Symbolic Logo
Sankofa is the English adaptation of two Twi words from the Akan people of Ghana. They are derived from a proverb: “Se wo were fi na wosan kofa a yenkyiri.” Translation: “It is not taboo to go back for what you left behind.”
Sankofa is often recognized through its Adinkra, a symbol that signifies a core piece of wisdom within Akan culture and across Ghana. Although there are hundreds of Adinkra, Sankofa is the most widely known across the African Diaspora. For those in the Diaspora who were forcibly removed from their homelands, it often signifies the journey to reconnect with their African heritage.
The Sankofa Adinkra’s most recognizable symbol is a bird reaching back for an egg. Given the significance of birds in African Indigenous cultures and worldwide, is it possible that the symbol represents the Western Longtailed Hornbill, a bird found in Ghana and across the Western Coast of Africa? Whether the Sankofa represents an actual species or not, we’re proud to adapt it into the Afrofuturism Collective’s logo.
artistic projects created in the same space can give life to new visions that future cohorts of the Collective, communities engaged in conservation work, and generations of environmentalists use to propel their initiatives forward with greater support and resources.
Read about the nine inaugural members of the Afrofuturism Collective. abcbirds.org/Afrofuturism
Mykah Scott (center); Naamal De Silva (top right)
Bird Hero
That path led to a bird- and wildlife-focused career, from the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), where she spent nine years as the state’s Partners in Flight Coordinator. Then, about a dozen years ago, the late David Pashley, then ABC’s Vice President for U.S. Conservation Partnerships, recruited Williams to join ABC.
She has been with ABC ever since, serving in roles such as Vice President of North American Birds and Habitats, Vice President of the Southeast and Atlantic Coast Region, and cur-
EJ Williams: Connecting People, Helping Birds
by Matt Mendenhall, Managing Editor
As a child growing up in eastern Georgia, Emily Jo (EJ) Williams was always interested in nature and wildlife. Her dad’s hunting and fishing hobbies opened her eyes to the natural world, and later, as a fan of Jacques Cousteau, she became determined to be a marine biologist. At the University of Georgia, that plan morphed into majoring in wildlife biology and then earning a Master’s in Forest Resources.
An ornithology class in graduate school was Williams’s first deep dive into bird study. And soon, a professor invited her to join a project studying Ruffed Grouse in the mountains of northeast Georgia. “That’s really what started me on a bird-focused path,” she recalls.
rently, Southeast Director of Sustainable Forest Partnerships. Later this year, after 35 years in bird conservation, Williams is planning to retire to spend more time with her husband, John Murphy, who is retired from the Georgia DNR, and their Norwich terriers, Max and Izzy, and German Shepherd, Koa. It’s time, Williams said, to “let other people take a swing at the main work of conservation.”
While others will step in to carry the many torches lit by Williams, it’s safe to say that few can match her outgoing personality, her natural ability to connect with people, and her can-do attitude on behalf of birds.
Williams fondly remembers a partnership she forged in the 1990s between the Georgia DNR and the Cayman Islands focused on the Cayman Brac Parrot, an endemic subspecies of the Cuban Amazon. “We helped find and monitor nesting parrots that informed the Trust for the Cayman Islands’ land conservation efforts,” she said. Williams, Murphy, and their field crew “contributed a lot to knowledge of the parrots’ nesting ecology and to prioritization
of land protection on Cayman Brac that also protected important winter habitat for migratory birds.
“But what I’m really proud of is that the work to promote these partnerships and my personal encouragement inspired a friend and colleague, Joni Ellis, to form Optics for the Tropics,” she says. The program, which is now partnered with World Migratory Bird Day, finds resources to provide binoculars, spotting scopes, and other equipment to scientists throughout the Caribbean and other parts of Latin America.
If one word could define Williams and her successes, it would be “relationships.” Working with other people and organizations is her calling card.
David Pashley (right), ABC’s late Vice President for U.S. Conservation Partnerships, stands beside Williams at a Partners in Flight meeting in 2010.
The Prairie Warbler is one of the birds of the southeastern U.S. that Williams has worked to conserve.
Williams with Max and Izzy, her Norwich terriers, during a forest tour in Louisiana.
One of the more prominent recent examples is how Williams connected ABC with International Paper (IP), the largest pulp and paper company in the world. Since 2020, ABC and IP have worked together in southern pine forests in the U.S. particularly to benefit the Swallow-tailed Kite. The ball began rolling toward the partnership in 2014, when Williams and ABC received a conservation grant from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), which promotes responsible forestry practices.
For the next few years, ABC’s relationship with SFI flourished, and at an SFI meeting in 2018, Williams ran into an old friend, Jeremy Poirier, who worked at IP and is “a bird guy at heart.” They began “what if” conversations about how ABC and IP could work together to conserve birds in the forests the company relies on for its products, and in about a year, a partnership framework was developed.
That led to a tagging and tracking project of kites with the Avian Research and Conservation Institute (ARCI) that began in 2021 and expanded to include Orleans Audubon
Society in 2023. The work has been ongoing ever since and is in the process of being renewed for another three years.
“The bird conservation community is completely based on partnerships,” Williams said, “and it just falls apart without that. That’s just sort of my ethos ever since I took the Partners in Flight job. You don’t just work with your partners. They are people that you work all day with and then you go out to dinner and you know their families, their pets, and so on. So to me, partners are not a construct; they’re part of how we do what we do.”
One of the great benefits of the partnerships Williams forged with IP and ARCI is that she gets to enjoy on a regular basis the spectacular Swallow-tailed Kite, a raptor she has admired since the early days of her career. Recently, she realized something special about the species.
“What’s really, really neat about kites is they change the conversation,” she explained. “You know, we can take non-birding landowners into a forest and teach them about warblers and Painted Buntings, and they’re interested to learn what their decisions mean for birds. But when a kite flies in, well, that immediately changes their interest level. They go from, ʻOK, I’m interested,’ to ʻWOW! What can I do for that bird?’”
Read more about ABC’s partnership with International Paper and how it helps Swallow-tailed Kites. abcbirds.org/PaperKites
Williams, who is a trained expert in handling birds, holds a Swallow-tailed Kite before it was fitted with a transmitter and released.
Jerome Ford, Assistant Director for Migratory Birds for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, presents Williams with the Gary T. Myers Bird Conservation Award in 2017.
Courtesy EJ Williams (top); Gina Kent (bottom)
Action & Advocacy
How You Can Help Birds Now
Spring is in full swing in the Northern Hemisphere, and that means millions of warblers, orioles, vireos, and other birds on the move. When they arrive at their breeding sites, they’ll sing to court potential mates and defend a territory, build nests, and prepare to raise their young. A few short weeks later, their chicks will be begging for caterpillars, damselflies, beetles, and moths.
Here are five steps you can take in the next few months to support migratory and resident birds.
Keep pesticides off your lawn. If you’re lucky, you may get to experience the spectacle of the breeding season in your own backyard, bugs and all. Make sure fledglings have plenty to feast on. Avoid using harmful pesticides that can deplete the plants and insects birds depend on. Commit to researching chemical-free alternatives that handle pests without harming birds. Turn off the lights. Lighting can be disorienting for birds, especially those that are migrating at night. It can draw them off their migratory paths and result in window collisions or encounters with predators. Big cities get the most attention for their role in reducing light pollution, but flipping the switch for houses, apartments, and commercial buildings outside of bustling, bright city centers is just as important. ABC and our partner DarkSky International encourage turning off lights at night when they’re not needed or closing blinds to keep light in. Also, consider your outdoor lighting: Use only essential lights and motion-detecting sensors to turn light on only as needed, and swap bright LEDs for warmer-toned bulbs. Prioritize fledglings (and their parents). Summer is the peak of fledgling season and one of the most vulnerable times in a young bird’s life. When parents molt after their young fledge, they too are in a more precarious position. That’s why it’s critical to double down on keep-
ing cats indoors, treating windows to prevent collisions, and to garden with care. Watch where you’re working in your yard and steer clear of spots where parents are nesting and young birds are fledging. Leave those areas alone to reduce stress and disturbance to the birds. Be sure to clean your feeders and baths regularly for good hygiene and to prevent disease transmission. Birds that are successful in raising their young are more likely to come back to the same area the following year to nest again.
On ABC’s website, you’ll find several ways to advocate for birds by contacting your U.S. Congressional representatives and telling them to be bold for birds. Current campaigns include advocacy for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken, protecting Northwest oldgrowth forests and their imperiled birds, and more. Raise your voice today! abcbirds.org/act
Above The Orchard Oriole breeds in open woodlands east of the Rocky Mountains.
Right A Yellow-throated Vireo collects a spiderweb for its nest.
Curlew Research Aims to Improve Conservation
A new tracking study of the Long-billed Curlew has revealed three distinct groups of North America’s largest shorebird that have their own migratory routes and stopover sites.
Between 2007 and 2021, researchers used satellite tags to track 130 curlews across their range in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. They identified a western group that migrates about 1,000 miles, an intermountain group that migrates around 1,250 miles, and an eastern plains group that migrates more than 1,860 miles.
During the study, all groups declined in population, despite an increase among a subgroup of curlews wintering near
the Gulf coast. Most of the decline was observed in curlew populations in the Chihuahuan Desert grasslands. The positive trend in the Gulf area occurred where ABC works with partners in Texas and Mexico, including the Rio Grande Joint Venture and Pronatura Noroeste. In addition, ABC works with partner groups in BirdScapes — priority habitat regions for birds’ breeding, stopover, and wintering areas — and the curlew is a primary focus of the Northern Great Plains BirdScapes in Montana and the Dakotas and El Tokio BirdScape in Mexico.
Elly Knight, an adjunct professor at the University
of Alberta and lead author of the study, which was published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, said the research can help “tailor conservation efforts to each group. The goal is to link the different population trends with specific threats the birds face along their respective migration routes.”
Of the three groups, the eastern curlews’ migration was longer and slower with more stops than the other groups. All three groups showed a strong preference for agricultural fields as stopovers during migration and during the winter nonbreeding season.
Since 2022, Kevin Ellison, Manager of ABC’s Northern Great Plains
Left Long-billed Curlew Below Kevin Ellison (left), Manager of ABC’s Northern Great Plains program, Jay Carlisle, Research Director at the
program, has tagged 15 curlews in the Dakotas with Jay Carlisle, research director at Boise State University’s Intermountain Bird Observatory and a co-author of the paper.
“This study improves our understanding of curlew migratory connectivity and population trends,” Ellison said. “That the curlew populations wintering in the Chihuahuan Desert are declining likely reflects the loss and degradation of habitat. Between 2006 and 2011, more than 171,000 acres of intact valley shrub- and grasslands were converted to crop fields irrigated by water pumped from aquifers. While curlews can use cropland areas, they are dependent on water availability and susceptible to threats of predation and presumably, pesticide exposure.”
Intermountain Bird Observatory, and Sandy Johnson, a North Dakota Game and Fish Department Conservation Biologist, tag a curlew with a transmitter in May 2023.
Glenn Bartley (left); Mike Anderson/North Dakota Game and Fish (right)
How did you learn to draw and paint birds?
Celebrating Peru’s Birds
From a young age, Omar Custodio was interested in art and nature, especially animals. At age 15, he underwent two surgeries and spent almost a month in the hospital. His father brought him books that he enjoyed, and “with a pencil and some sheets of paper, I found a way to draw. I vividly remember how relaxing it felt during such a difficult time in my adolescence. At that stage, I was very interested in drawing felines and had just begun developing a fascination for birds.”
Custodio majored in biology at Pedro Ruiz Gallo National University in Peru, and since 2012, he has worked for CORBIDI, a nonprofit nature conservation and research organization. We recently asked him about his art and conservation work.
I have always drawn animals, and my passion for them led me to study biology. After graduating, I worked for several years in aviaries and bird breeding centers, where I had the opportunity to observe birds up close, handle them, and better understand their anatomy and physiology. This knowledge deepened in 2012 when I started collaborating on a shorebird banding project in Paracas, Peru, through CORBIDI.
All this experience significantly influenced my artistic development, allowing me to refine my drawings in a self-taught manner. At CORBIDI, I had the opportunity to take on new commissions, which challenged me and helped me grow as an artist. Over time, I supplemented my learning with online courses on drawing techniques and watercolor painting, which has become my preferred medium.
What is your role at CORBIDI? What do you research?
I am an Associate Researcher at CORBIDI, and I currently lead the Urban Birds of Lima and Peruvian Shorebirds projects. In the latter, for example, we are analyzing substrate samples
from two critical wetlands in Peru — Pantanos de Villa in Lima and the San Pedro de Vice Mangroves in Piura. Our goal is to study the food availability for migratory shorebirds that use these ecosystems as resting and feeding grounds.
As an illustrator, I am also developing a visual guide on the dietary items found in these areas. This guide will complement scientific studies and serve as an educational tool for conservation efforts.
Above The Ancient Antwren is found in rainforests of northeastern Peru and nearby Ecuador. Custodio painted the bird in 2018. Upper left Custodio made this watercolor of a male Andean Condor for a 2015 identification guide. It was also used to illustrate the first National Andean Condor Census in Peru in 2022.
Omar Custodio
Scientific illustrator from Peru
Omar Custodio is an Associate Researcher at Peru’s Center for Ornithology and Biodiversity (CORBIDI), where he leads the Urban Birds of Lima and Shorebirds of Peru projects. As a child, he demonstrated skills in drawing and illustration, and since 2013, he has been a professional wildlife artist. His work has been featured in scientific articles, magazines, hotels and lodges, books, and wildlife identification guides. In 2022, he was the featured artist for World Migratory Bird Day, the annual event sponsored by Environment for the Americas. Custodio is one of two Resident Artists with ABC’s Conservation and Justice Fellowship program, in which he is designing visual and cultural materials highlighting the interaction between birds and native plants. He is also focusing on developing educational resources tailored for people with visual impairments.
Follow him on Instagram @omarcustodioart
What is the Urban Birds of Lima Project?
The project aims to raise awareness and engage Lima residents in the conservation of urban birds and their habitats, contributing to the mission of “making cities healthier places for both birds and people.”
Lima, the capital of Peru, is a megacity located in a coastal desert, currently facing uncontrolled urban expansion and likely to experience many consequences of climate change. Rapid urban development, along with global warming, is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity.
Birds serve as excellent indicators of environmental quality, as their basic needs — clean air, clean water, and open spaces — align closely with those of humans. Creating bird-friendly habitats not only supports biodiversity but also provides people with spaces to enjoy the outdoors and strengthen their connection with nature, ultimately improving their health, quality of life, and well-being.
Additionally, citizen science is a powerful tool for engaging communities in bird conservation. Through accessible and meaningful activities, people can contribute valuable data
that supports the protection of bird species and their ecosystems.
What types of resources are you developing for people with visual impairments?
Over the past two years, we have focused on promoting birdwatching through sensory experiences, with a strong emphasis on bird songs and vocalizations. This approach led us to deepen our understanding of accessibility and to collaborate with people with visual impairments. As a result, we are developing inclusive strategies that enable individuals to connect with nature in ways that do not rely solely on sight. It has been a mutual learning experience, where both we and people with visual impairments discover new ways to perceive and appreciate biodiversity.
Enjoy a recent ABC webinar in which Custodio gave a drawing tutorial focused on one of the most endangered and beautiful birds of the Americas — the Araripe Manakin. abcbirds.org/Manakin
Books, Other Media Spotlight Bird Conservation
Habitats of North America: A Field Guide for Birders, Naturalists, and Ecologists by Phil Chaon and Iain Campbell, photography by Ben Knoot, Princeton University Press, 2025, 376 pages, $35.
This extraordinary guide covers 85 types of habitat from Alaska to southern Mexico, as well as Hawaiʻi, Greenland, and the Caribbean. For each habitat, the authors provide detailed descriptions, notes on wildlife and conservation, and tips for where to find the habitat. The book is also loaded with maps and other visuals, including photos of many of the notable birds and other wildlife associated with each
Hawaiian Birds on TV
In late 2024, our friends at PBS Hawaiʻi aired two documentaries about the 50th State’s urgent fight to prevent further bird extinctions. The one-hour “When Silence Becomes the Song” documents the battle to save the ʻAkikiki, a honeycreeper endemic to the island of Kauaʻi that is now functionally extinct in the wild. And “Vanishing Voices: Saving Our Hawaiian Forest Birds” is a half-hour film produced by ABC about invasive mosquitoes and the avian diseases they carry. The documentary explains that Birds, Not Mosquitoes, an initiative by ABC and several partner organizations, is working to protect native bird species on the islands. Both films are at pbshawaii.org, and “Vanishing Voices” is also at birdsnotmosquitoes.org/resources.
habitat. Contributors to the book include ABC President Michael J. Parr and Senior Conservation Scientist David Wiedenfeld. Also, watch for the release of our new interactive WatchList of Terrestrial and Freshwater Bird Habitats of the U.S. and Canada — the Habitats WatchList — later this year at abcbirds.org. Developed by ABC in partnership with NatureServe and authors Iain Campbell and Philip Chaon, the tool will offer users a new look at habitats: through birds.
Feather Trails: A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds by Sophie A. H. Osborn, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2024, 384 pages, $32.50.
In her career, wildlife biologist Sophie A. H. Osborn has taken part in recovery efforts for the Peregrine Falcon, ʻAlalā (Hawaiian Crow), and California Condor. And lucky for us, Osborn, a talented storyteller, shares each bird’s story — and her own — in this remarkable book. She explains the circumstances of the species’ declines and the dayto-day work of restoring them to the wild. Moreover, Osborn explores her personal journey as a field biologist and the inherent challenges that come with the job, like weather, treacherous trails, and poachers. Feather Trails is a powerful testament to the ongoing commitment that conservation requires, especially for the rarest birds.
A Glimmer of Rubies
Earlier this year, ABC supporter Morah Yehudis Fishman sent us her poem “Why I Love Hummingbirds.” Madeline Duffy, our stellar Social Media Specialist, provided the voiceover of Fishman’s lovely words with videos of hummingbirds, creating a touching post that we shared on our social platforms. Grab a tissue, and don’t miss it. abcbirds.org/Poem
Art from "Vanishing Voices"
Field of View
A Saltmarsh Soliloquy
by J. Drew Lanham
I sit dockside on Edisto Island’s Townsend River watching American White Pelicans rise through a foggy gray veil. Unseen thermals carry them aloft as temps lean against freezing. The flock banks into the brightening and even with the clouds lying low, I can see clearly, no binoculars required. Heart zooms in and my feel guide is at hand. I’ve seen dozens of white pelicans on this sojourn but only one of the usually more common Browns. Why the shift? Curiosity is job security for the ornithologist, while wonder makes way for the poet.
I sit comfortably with both identities. I watch. I listen. I’m moved to think; inspired to write. The pelicans break their loose formation and stream singly through an over-easy orange orb resting on the marsh grass horizon. The dawn chorus trickles in. With spring more than a month away, the hesitant songs of cardinals and Carolina Wrens convey half commitments. A Bald Eagle drops shrill cackles from a tall pine that sets off the Clapper Rails. The applause doesn’t last long. I’m in awe.
This is my wild winter idyll; February’s brevity spent in a tiny pink cabin on the saltmarsh where the pace is measured in tides, birds
plying the edges between heart and mind, and dolphins reminding me of the Ancestors’ brutal Middle Passage across the Atlantic to be brought here and suffer in chattel bondage. The bitter history is ever present. The sweet comes on wings. In an hour’s sit, Great Blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers, scaup, Buffleheads, Wood Storks, Forster’s Terns, assorted gulls, yellowlegs, and a squadron of fishing Double-crested Cormorants present themselves. In a worried world with billions of birds forever gone in 50 years, the wild beauty remaining renders a calm that drives desires for more. I’m greedily soul-deep in a promptrich ecosystem where I feel closest to truest unquestioned identity.
blends with birds’ lives. Wildness in that mélange is threatened necessity and precious privilege. I understand that landscapes like Edisto are far from perfect, but I choose immersion in the imperfect to better leverage protection for the birds and hopefully make things better for us, too.
I choose immersion in the imperfect to better leverage protection for the birds
Diversity and inclusion rule here. Evolution is the overriding order that no one signed into being. I engage at will with it all, no bullet-pointed records of accomplishments required.
Wildness does that for me. It’s only a 40-minute drive into Charleston’s hyperactivity, but Edisto Island seems a world away with sketchy connectivity that’s a ready-made excuse for losing touch — or inspiration for introspection. Here is far away enough from there to forget what crowded is, unless some flock of birds presents it pleasantly. There is little separation in history though, as Edisto shares the Port City’s dark story of bonds to enslavement, discrimination, and now development and gentrification. My work is to understand how all of the past persecutions and current “progress”
The rich ecotones among sea, saltmarsh, forest, and history converge with landscape and birdlife here. This melding gives some hope and critical room to ponder, create, and cope. Birds, here or anywhere wildness prevails, with stories of the humans sharing range behind them, past, present, and possibly future, are front and center. Every wild bird is a bit of joy given and justice I take for myself. Here, I’m convicted by Emily Dickinson that hope is indeed, “the thing with feathers” and by Sis’ Zora Neale Hurston’s declaration of eschewing routine to seek solace in wild places.
J.
Drew
Lanham is
Alumni
Distinguished
Professor
of Wildlife Ecology at Clemson University, a 2022 MacArthur Fellow, and an acclaimed author and essayist.
P.O. Box 249
The Plains, VA 20198 abcbirds.org
540-253-5780 • 888-247-3624
This issue of Bird Conservation has a new look, and we’d love to know what you think about it! Please scan this code or visit the following web page to answer a few questions. Thanks for your time — and for your support of American Bird Conservancy! abcbirds.org/MagSurvey
Hoatzin at Los Amigos Biological Station in southeastern Peru.
Photo by David Fisher/Neotropical Birding and Conservation
