The Chicago Region’s “Declining & Imperiled Birds”,
“Watchlist 2007”, and “Birds & Climate Change”

State of the Birds Reports

Watchlist

The National Audubon Society has recently published three national analyses of citizen science data that have local implications. Using data from hundreds of local birders and many more across the country, they have published the following reports. Illinois information from each study is listed in the box on the right.

Using Christmas Count and Breeding Bird Survey data, Audubon identified Common Birds in Decline that we can help now before they become threatened or endangered. Details from this study are listed below.

Nearly 60% of the 305 species found in North America in winter are on the move, shifting their ranges northward by an average of 35 miles. Audubon scientists analyzed 40 years of citizen-science Christmas Bird Count data—and their findings provide new and powerful evidence that global warming is having a serious impact on natural systems. Northward movement was detected among species of every type, including more than 70 percent of highly adaptable forest and feeder birds.

Only grassland species were an exception—with only 38 percent mirroring the northward trend. But far from being good news for species like Eastern Meadowlark and Henslow's Sparrow, this reflects the grim reality of severely-depleted grassland habitat and suggests that these species now face a double threat from the combined stresses of habitat loss and climate adaptation.

Chicago Region's Common Birds In Decline

Thirty-four species of birds that spend at least part of the year in the Chicago region have been identified by Audubon and the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) as in need of conservation action to ensure their continued survival. These species have the dubious distinction of being included on WatchList 2007, the newest and most scientifically sound list of America's birds at greatest risk. Unlike those on Audubon's recent survey of Common Birds in Decline, these species are so rare that they face a more imminent threat of extinction. For some of them, ongoing conservation efforts in the Chicago Region are a model for what is needed nationally.

The continental WatchList is based on a comprehensive analysis of population size and trends, distribution, and environmental threats, informed and improved by extensive scientific review. The 59 species on its "red list" (including 7 Chicago region birds) are those of greatest concern, while the additional 119 (27 of which live in the Chicago region) merit their spots on the "yellow list" due to a combination of rarity and seriously declining numbers. Species found on either part of the WatchList demand immediate help while there is still sufficient time so that reasonable, practical efforts can save them.

Below are the birds occuring regularly in the Chicago Region and Illinois that are on the WatchList. For the complete continental WatchList and information on how to help, visit www.audubon.org.

Red & Yellow Watchlist 2007 for Birds Occuring Regularly in the Chicago Region & Illinois

Grassland Nesters, Migrants Wintering Birds
Short-eared Owl	Landbird	↓	Declining	winter resident
Henslow's Sparrow	Landbird	↓	Highest National Concern	breeding bird
Le Conte's Sparrow	Landbird	↓	Declining	migrant

Shrubland Nesters
Willow Flycatcher	Landbird	↓	Declining	breeding bird
Bell's Vireo	Landbird	↓	Highest National Concern	breeding bird
Blue-winged Warbler	Landbird	↓	Rare	breeding bird

Woodland & Savanna Nesters & Migrants
Swainson's Hawk	Landbird	↓	Rare	breeding bird
Red-headed Woodpecker	Landbird	↓	Declining	year-round resident
Wood Thrush	Landbird	↓	Declining	breeding bird
Olive-sided Flycatcher	Landbird	↓	Declining	migrant
Golden-winged Warbler	Landbird	↓	Highest National Concern	migrant, former nester
Prairie Warbler	Landbird	↓	Declining	migrant, rare nester
Bay-breasted Warbler	Landbird	↓	Declining	migrant
Cerulean Warbler	Landbird	↓	Declining	*migrant, rare nester
Prothonotary Warbler	Landbird	↓	Declining	*migrant, rare nester
Kentucky Warbler	Landbird	↓	Declining	*migrant, rare nester
Canada Warbler	Landbird	↓	Declining	migrant

Wetland Nesters & Migrants
Yellow Rail	Marshbird	↓	Highest National Concern	migrant
Black Rail	Marshbird	↓	Highest National Concern	status uncertain
King Rail	Marshbird	↓	Declining	breeding bird
Whooping Crane	Marshbird	↓	Highest National Concern	migrant; former nester
American Golden-Plover	Shorebird	↓	Declining	migrant
Piping Plover	Shorebird	↓	Highest National Concern	migrant
Hudsonian Godwit	Shorebird	↓	Rare	migrant
Marbled Godwit	Shorebird	↓	Declining	migrant; former nester
Sanderling	Shorebird	↓	Declining	migrant
Semipalmated Sandpiper	Shorebird	↓	Declining	migrant
Western Sandpiper	Shorebird	↓	Rare	migrant
White-rumped Sandpiper	Shorebird	↓	Declining	migrant
Stilt Sandpiper	Shorebird	↓	Rare	migrant
Buff-breasted Sandpiper	Shorebird	↓	Highest National Concern	migrant
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow	Landbird	↓	Rare	migrant
Rusty Blackbird	Landbird	↓	Declining	migrant (winters southern Illinois)

Additional Illinois birds not found in the Chicago Region
Trumpeter Swan	Waterfowl	↓	Rare	recently returned breeding bird
Greater Prairie-Chicken	Landbird	↓	Highest National Concern	year-round resident
Least Tern	Waterbird	↓	Highest National Concern	breeding bird
Smith's Longspur	Landbird	↓	Rare	migrant

*breeds more commonly in Illinois outside of the Chicago Region

The Chicago Region’s “Declining & Imperiled Birds”, “Watchlist 2007”, and “Birds & Climate Change”

Chicago Region's Common Birds In Decline

The Chicago Region’s “Declining & Imperiled Birds”,
“Watchlist 2007”, and “Birds & Climate Change”