Spring is just days away, and the season’s bird migration has begun. Here at Friends of Animals, we become jubilant this time of year when the chorus of our songbirds once again fills the air.

However, we are troubled by the recently published 2025 State of the Birds Report, which provides a bleak update on the health of bird populations across the U.S. About a third of all American bird species, 229 in total, have experienced significant population losses and require urgent help. At least 42 different bird species, including the Allen’s hummingbird, tricolored blackbird, and saltmarsh sparrow, have reached critically low population levels. These species have lost more than 50% of their populations in the past 50 years, highlighting the need for immediate action.

It’s a wake-up call that in their own backyards, humans must stop using pesticides that kill insects and rodenticides that kill mice and rats, all of which birds need to survive. Not to mention bird habitats have been eviscerated for decades now by industrialization and development, and hunting continues to threaten bird populations.

Even for the non-birder, this report should raise the alarm bells. Birds are key indicators of an ecosystem’s health. Their dramatic decline as highlighted reflects the growing, unsustainable pressures placed on wildlife and natural spaces.

Over the course of this week, we’ll be uncovering the report’s findings in more detail. We’ll explore what these trends mean and discuss what can be done to protect vulnerable populations.

Stay tuned.

In the meantime, you can read the full report here.