On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti What will it take to save America's birds?
Apr 3, 2026
Marshall Johnson, Chief Conservation Officer at the National Audubon Society, is a conservation leader focused on protecting birds and habitats across the Americas. He discusses the scale of North America’s bird declines and prairie and agricultural drivers. He talks about how cats and land‑use change harm birds. He outlines farmer partnerships, policy levers, and citizen actions to help reverse losses.
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Rural Mail Carrier Keeps A Tiny Bird Refuge
- Lynn Norton, a 67-year-old rural mail carrier in eastern Nebraska, has watched local bird life—nightjars, pelicans, mergansers—decline dramatically over years.
- She maintains a small pasture as a bird habitat amid surrounding corn and soybean industrial agriculture, leaving native trees, prairie grass, and thistle to support species like goldfinches.
A Quarter Of North American Birds Have Vanished
- Since 1970 North America has lost over 25% of its birds and declines have accelerated for many species since the late 1980s.
- Francois Lois' Science paper links accelerating losses to broad ecosystem functions birds provide, like pest control, seed dispersal, and provisioning.
Intensive Agriculture Drives Accelerating Bird Loss
- Francois Lois' analysis found agricultural intensity was the strongest predictor of accelerating bird declines, with variables like fertilizer, pesticide use, and crop cover implicated.
- Climate change also contributes, with faster-warming regions showing greater losses, making multiple stressors combine regionally.