Many of Canada's grassland birds are seeing concerning declines in population, but long-term conservation efforts could restore them to national goals.
Birds Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada have released "The State of Canada's Birds in 2024" report that highlights alarming trends for the bird population in the grasslands.
While waterfowl breeds (ducks, geese, and swans) have increased by 46 per cent since 1970, the grassland bird population has seen an opposite trend, with the study showing the population having decreased at an alarming rate.
"A crisis is unfolding in the Prairies. Grassland birds have declined by 67 percent since 1970, with no sign of leveling off. The destruction and degradation of native grasslands is the single greatest threat to this group of birds and biodiversity in general," the State of Canada Birds 2024 report reads.
Two of the bird families that are at high risk in the grasslands are the chestnut-collared longspur and the burrowing owl.
According to NatureCounts, the Burrowing Owl was once a common breed in the grasslands is now a very rare bird to come across, with its population at an extreme low of 270. Two studies by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) estimate that the population has decreased by about 90 per cent in the 1990s and by another 64 per cent from 2005 to 2015. The burrowing owl has been considered Endangered since 1995 and is well below the goal range.
The chestnut-collared longspur population is in the same boat as the burrowing owl according to NatureCounts. The population has decreased by 94 per cent since 1970 according to COSEWIC. The current numbers for the Chestnut-collared Longspur in the grasslands are about 68,000 which currently represents 22 per cent of the global population. COSEWIC has classified the breed as Endangered because of the rapid and accelerating declines in their population.
"Birds are at the heart of Canada's biodiversity. Open-access data supports scientific decision-making and leads to a deeper understanding of our environment. Where deliberate conservation action has been taken, birds have recovered. Together with communities, citizen scientists, and organizations such as Birds Canada, we are working to build a nature-positive future. Canada is committed to halting and reversing nature loss by 2030 and achieving full recovery for nature by 2050," Patrick Nadeau, President and Chief Executive Officer, Birds Canada said in a release.
The study that found the 67 per cent decrease in grassland birds also states how conservation has helped grow numbers in waterfowl, birds of prey, and Wetland birds.
"Three bird groups have increased in population since 1970, waterfowl (46 percent), birds of prey (35 percent), and wetland birds (21 percent). From banning DDT to save the Peregrine Falcon campaign to conserving wetlands for birds like the least bittern, conservation action is having positive impacts on bird populations," The Stats of Canada's Birds 2024 report found.
463 species of birds were studied in the report over a period of 50 years.