North American bird declines are greatest where species are most abundant

Efforts to address declines of North American birds have been constrained
by limited availability of fine-scale information about population change.
Using participatory science data from eBird, we estimated continental
population change and relative abundance at 27 km resolution for 495 bird
species from 2007-2021. Results reveal high and previously undetected
spatial heterogeneity in trends; although 75% of species were declining,
97% of species showed separate areas of significantly increasing and
decreasing populations. Populations tended to decline most steeply in
strongholds where species were most abundant, yet they fared better where
species were least abundant. These high-resolution trends improve our
ability to understand population dynamics, prioritize recovery efforts,
and guide conservation at a time when action is urgently needed.