The 2025 State of the Birds report indicates bird populations are dropping “across the board” in the United States.

Of particular concern are waterfowl, which are usually a bright spot for conservation efforts.

The report was put together by organizations within the North American Bird Conservation Initiative.

“They are an indicator of what's happening around us and the quality of the habitats that not only they depend upon, but that we as people and our economies depend upon," said Ducks Unlimited Senior Waterfowl Scientist Mike Brasher.

The 2025 State of the Birds Report shows many birds in North America are declining, with some of the greatest drops being among grassland species, but numbers of waterfowl are also going down.

While this is not necessarily a trend, researchers said it’s concerning because waterfowl have been viewed as a conservation success story.

“In recent years, we have seen prolonged drought on the prairies of the north central U.S. and Canada. That is the number one area, the most important area for duck production on the continent," said Brasher.

One of the reasons why birds are declining is due to habitat loss.

It can be caused by residential development, agricultural conversion of grasslands, rising sea levels and environmental changes affecting vegetation.

Tom Cunningham is a wildlife biologist with the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation.

“We have a lot of raptor species. We have a lot of forest dwelling birds in New York state. So we literally have the best of all worlds. And then you go downstate into the Great Lakes, parts of the state, you have a lot of your shorebirds and kind of seabirds as well," said Cunningham.

New York state has almost two-dozen Bird Conservation Areas, according to the state’s Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Of course, the state has many more locations where birds live.

Numbers are down, but with the fairly stable and diverse habitats and conservation efforts underway, New Yorkers likely haven’t noticed much of a difference in birds.

“We also do surveys on some of these properties to kind of see how some of these species will respond to our management actions, and we have seen a positive response for some of those species," Cunningham said.

“I don't think upstate New Yorkers should expect a big change this year based on what we're seeing in this report," said Brasher.

Researchers who worked on the report said policies are needed to support healthier working lands, cleaner water and resilient landscapes.

Birds mean big business, too.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found birders’ trip-related and equipment expenditures in 2022 amounted to $108 billion – supporting 1.4 million jobs.

New Yorkers are encouraged by the DEC to help protect migrating birds by keeping their lights off at night.

Outdoor lighting can affect birds’ ability to migrate.