Mass Audubon State of the Birds
State of the Birds is a series of reports assessing trends and patterns in abundance and distribution of Massachusetts' birds. The reports identify challenges facing our birds and recommend conservation actions necessary to ensure their survival.
Latest Report
State of the Birds: Massachusetts Birds and Our Changing Climate
The State of the Birds 2017 focuses on what the future of the breeding birds of Massachusetts may be as the climate changes.
While the previous two reports looked to the past, the third edition is an effort to glimpse the future. Using bird and climate data, we determined the currently preferred climates (the "climate envelopes") of birds that nest in Massachusetts. Then, we used projections of what the future climate will be to estimate how the distribution of each bird’s climate envelope will differ by the year 2050. These maps help us to understand which species may be at risk in the future.
Our actions today will affect the climate in the future. So, in addition to looking at the projected effects of a changing climate for Massachusetts birds, this report encourages conservation actions that can help mitigate the worst effects of climate change, as well as help us provide refuge for the species most at risk. Explore the report's key findings
Download the Report
Birds may be ranked among the noblest forms of life. Experience has shown that, without species protection at the hands of man, many species are likely to become extinct. —Edward Howe Forbush, 1925