Birds in Virginia and nationwide are vanishing — fast

Birds that call Virginia's coast and mountains home are in serious decline.

Why it matters: Birds are indicators of the health of their habitats and signal early warnings of broader trouble to the environment, and potentially people.

By the numbers: In the past 50 years, Virginia species like Wilson's Plover — a signature bird of Virginia's barrier islands — have lost half of their population, per the North American Bird Conservation Initiative's 2025 State of the Birds report.

• The plover and the Golden-winged warbler are now labeled a "Tipping Point" species, meaning they could vanish within the next half-century without urgent conservation action.
• The cerulean warbler in Virginia's mountains has also seen its population crash in the past 50 years.

Zoom in: The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources has said pollution, changing climate and "the sea level rise that comes with it" can impact Virginia's coastal birds.

• The report noted declines in eastern forest birds, like the Bachman's sparrow in Virginia, are partly due to habitat loss from residential development.

Threat level: A blow to birds is a blow to the economy. From birding tourism to pest control and pollination, birds generate nearly $280 billion annually for the U.S. economy, the report finds.

The big picture: It's not just Virginia. Researchers tracked species nationwide and found declines almost everywhere — even among birds once thought resilient, like waterfowl.

• Roughly one-third of U.S. bird species — 229 in total — are now classified as high or moderate conservation concerns.

Yes, but: There are signs of hope. Thanks to wetland protections, dabbling and diving duck populations have jumped 24% since 1970, while waterbirds are up 16%, per the report.

What's next: Scientists are calling for bigger investments in habitat protection — particularly on private lands and in partnership with local communities and Indigenous nations.