Studies Show Alarming Insect-eating Bird Declines in Canada

March 2008. An article by Bird Studies Canada biologist Jon McCracken examines substantial population declines for ‘aerial insectivores ‘ – birds that specialize on feeding on flying insects.

The alarming trend, which appears to be most pronounced in Canada, has been revealed by the analysis of results from several bird monitoring programs, including the newly released Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario, 2001-2005 and the North American Breeding Bird Survey.