The Birds Are Disappearing – And Watching Isn’t Enough

Every time a report surfaces about declining bird populations, social media explodes. Birdwatchers grieve, share articles, and express frustration at habitat destruction, hunting, and climate change. Yet, when it comes to actually doing something – to contributing data that could drive conservation efforts – most of that outrage fades into the background.

I see it all the time. A rare or declining bird makes headlines, and suddenly everyone cares. But when there’s a call to join a monitoring project? When structured data collection could help identify the next species in trouble before it’s too late? Silence.

This needs to change!

If we truly care about birds, we need to do more than just mourn their losses. We need to document them, to track their populations, to provide the numbers that conservationists depend on. Bird declines don’t happen overnight. They’re gradual, often imperceptible at first, until one day, a species is simply… gone.

We Let the Slender-billed Curlew Disappear

The Slender-billed Curlew (Numenius tenuirostris) was once a regular migrant across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. While never common, it moved through vast landscapes where birders and scientists could have monitored its numbers – if only they had.

By the time ornithologists realized the species was in trouble, it was already vanishing. Unlike the long-lost Eskimo Curlew, whose decline coincided with early ornithology’s infancy, the Slender-billed Curlew faded away in the late 20th century – when we had the tools to track its fate, but simply didn’t act soon enough.

The last widely accepted record dates back to 1995. Since then, despite intensive searches, no confirmed sightings have emerged. The bird’s likely extinction wasn’t caused by a single disaster. It was the result of a slow, unnoticed decline – one that should have triggered urgent monitoring long before it reached the point of no return.

Had more birders participated in structured surveys across its range, had more people documented sightings consistently instead of treating them as one-off records, this story might have had a different ending. But we failed to gather the data in time. We waited until the bird was already slipping away – and then, it was gone.

This Is Happening Again—Right Now

If you think this was an isolated case, it wasn’t. It’s happening again, right now, to multiple species.

• The European Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur) was once considered common across Europe. Today, it has declined by 90% in just a few decades due to habitat loss and hunting pressure – but the crisis wasn’t widely recognized until structured surveys revealed the severity of the drop.

European Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur) – Once a widespread and familiar sight across Europe, the Turtle Dove has suffered a staggering 90% decline in just a few decades. Habitat loss, hunting, and changes in agricultural practices have driven this species toward the brink—yet its disappearance went largely unnoticed until structured surveys revealed the crisis. How many more species will follow before we take monitoring seriously? © Gyorgy Szimuly

• The Yellow-breasted Bunting (Emberiza aureola), once abundant across Eurasia, is now critically endangered, mostly due to unchecked hunting in China. But because few birders were consistently monitoring its migration routes, the alarm bells rang too late.

• Even many shorebirds, birds often observed by large numbers of birders, are in trouble. Yet, beyond a handful of specialists, how many people actually take the time to submit meaningful records outside of chasing rarities?

Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata) – A symbol of vanishing wetlands and grasslands, the Eurasian Curlew is now considered Near Threatened due to widespread habitat loss and declining breeding success. Unlike its cousin, the Slender-billed Curlew, which likely slipped into extinction before we even fully understood its decline, the Eurasian Curlew still has a fighting chance – if we act now, while we still have the data to guide conservation efforts. © Gyorgy Szimuly

Caring Isn’t Enough—We Need Action

This isn’t about gatekeeping conservation. It’s about recognizing that birdwatching, as wonderful as it is, cannot just be a passive hobby anymore. We already have enough people talking about bird declines. What we don’t have enough of are people actually contributing the data that helps conservationists do something about it.

Participating in a monitoring project like PatchBird isn’t hard. You don’t need a science degree, and you don’t need to dedicate hours of your time. It’s as simple as making your birding count. Even a few structured surveys, repeated over time, contribute to a larger picture that helps conservationists understand where birds are declining, where they’re stable, and what might be causing those patterns. Honestly, I couldn’t have designed a simpler bird monitoring program than the PatchBird Initiative. It integrates the use of a brilliant, free tool – eBird – and requires no exhaustive walking, no complex protocols, and no long-term commitments. The effort is limited to just 15 minutes per location, and yet, when enough birders contribute, the impact is massive. If you’re already birding, why not make it count for something bigger?

Because one thing is certain: if we keep waiting until bird populations collapse before we take them seriously, we will keep losing species.

So next time you feel devastated by another population crash, another disappearance, another extinction – ask yourself: Am I just reacting, or am I actually doing something?

Birds don’t need more sadness. They need action!

Will you be part of the solution?

Join The PatchBird Initiative

To join the PatchBird Initiative, go to the main page and fill up the registration form and enjoy birding as you always do.