The melancholy whistling of the yellow-bellied eastern meadowlark had long been heard in hay fields and salt marshes throughout Massachusetts. The American kestrel, the continent’s smallest falcon, thrived in local grasslands, hunting for grasshoppers, mice, and other prey in the state’s once-abundant farms. And the red-eyed eastern towhee long warbled in wooded areas while noisily raking the brush-covered grounds to forage for insects.
Those birds as well as many others are disappearing from Boston to the Berkshires, while wrens, woodpeckers, and other species from Southern states are mysteriously taking their place and surging throughout Massachusetts, according to a landmark report by Mass Audubon, which compiled decades worth of data about the state’s birds from thousands of scientists and trained birders.
The report found nearly half of all the state’s breeding birds are declining, including many marshland and grassland species as well as more common birds such as blue jays and swallows, raising questions about the health of the state’s wetlands and other ecosystems.
It also found that although the state has helped bring back endangered birds such as piping plovers, peregrine falcons, and bald eagles, 20 of the 28 birds listed under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act remain vulnerable. An additional 34 birds that have been identified as of “conservation concern’’ were also found to be declining.
“As a longtime observer of the natural world, I am alarmed by the challenges facing many Bay State bird species,’’ wrote Edward O. Wilson, the biologist from Harvard University, in a letter introducing the report titled “State of the Birds.’’ “My concern is not simply for the loss of birdlife, but that birds as nature’s heralds are signaling broader ecological deterioration.’’
He added: “This report captures the changes in bird distribution that seem to be unmistakable markers of climate change.’’
Among the other findings: More than a quarter of all wintering birds are in decline; the number of species that are increasing has fallen by half since 1980; and the number of ground-nesting birds and others that feed on insects are dropping.
The report, which surveyed more than 300 birds, notes that some declines are to be expected as Massachusetts continues to lose its agricultural lands to development and suburbs replace farmland, but the authors say in the report that there is “a real risk that we could lose some of our native birdlife.’’
It also cites warming temperatures, toxic chemicals, and feral cats and other predators for the changes in the bird population.
Boston.com
