Population Trends in Grassland, Shrubland, and Forest Birds in Eastern North America

There is growing evidence that many species of birds have declined throughout the eastern United States during the past 40 years. In many cases this decline involves groups of species that share the same habitat and have similar ecological requirements, indicating that there may be a few general underlying causes for these population changes rather than a unique explanation for each species. I examined the evidence for population declines in three important ecological groups: forest migrants, grassland species, and shrubland species. These three groups of relatively specialized birds include a large proportion of the songbird species in eastern North America.

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