Wild Animals

Wild Songbird Population Decline

North American and European songbird populations have declined dramatically, with cascading welfare implications for billions of individual animals.

Key Facts

North America has lost nearly 3 billion birds since 1970
Insect declines driven by pesticides reduce food availability
Cats kill an estimated 1-4 billion birds annually in North America
Window strikes kill hundreds of millions of birds each year

Welfare Considerations

Population decline means that vast numbers of individual birds experience the acute suffering of starvation, predation, and collision death. Each lost individual matters beyond the population statistic. Supporting recovery means addressing the immediate welfare of surviving birds.

What You Can Do

Keep cats indoors or use cat enclosures to prevent bird predation
Apply window decals or screens to reduce collision risk
Plant native species to support insect abundance for bird food
Advocate for pesticide reform to protect insect prey populations