The State of Canada's Birds species accounts summarize the status, trends, goals, distribution, and occurrence for every bird species that spends all or part of its life in Canada. The accounts weave together data from bird monitoring programs with expert interpretation and analysis.
This page will help you understand and interpret these accounts. For deeper insights on the methods used in The State of Canada's Birds, you can read the full technical methods.
The information in the species accounts is divided into two categories: Status and Trends, and Distribution. You can navigate between them using the tabs at the top, or the menu on the left-hand side.
The summary section gives an overview of the information currently available for the species.
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Status box: The first box displays the trend and goal status for each population of the species in Canada. Information for the national population is shown by default, and if there are sub-populations, you can view them by clicking the "Sub-populations" tab.
Population trends in this box are assigned to one of six categories:
Large decrease - a decrease of 50% or greater since 1970Moderate decrease - a decrease of 25-50% since 1970Little change - a decrease less than 25% or an increase less than 33% since 1970Moderate increase - an increase of 33-100% since 1970Large increase - an increase of 100% or greater since 1970Data deficient - there is not enough data to determine the trendYou may notice that the values for the increase and decrease categories are different. This is because increases and decreases are not weighted the same. For example, a population must decrease by 50% to be halved, but increase by 100% to be doubled. Likewise, a population can grow by more than 100%, but if it decreases by 100%, it has gone extinct. The asymmetrical values help make increases and decreases more comparable.
We assign a confidence score to each assessment based on the reliability and consistency of the data that are available. Confidence scores range from Very Low to Very High.
For more on population trends, jump to the Population Trends section.
For more on population goals, jump to the Population Goals section. -
Summary: Below the status box is a paragraph providing expert interpretation of the available information, trends, and status of the species, and any subpopulations.
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Population Estimates:
We provide up to three population estimates for each species, depending on available data:
Breeding: the total number of individuals that breed in Canada each yearAnnual: the total number of birds that occur in Canada yearly, including breeding birds, migrants, and overwintering birdsGlobal: the total worldwide population of the species
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Migration Strategy:
We assign each species to one or more migration strategy groups.
Some species use multiple strategies.
For example, some American Robins are short-distance migrants, while others are residents.
Resident - species does not migrate, but may make small seasonal movementsShort-distance Migrant - species breeds in Canada, migrates no farther than Central America or the CaribbeanLong-distance Migrant - species breeds in Canada, some or all migrate to South AmericaSeasonal visitor - species does not breed in Canada but is a regular visitor
- Canadian Responsibility: While Canada has a responsibility for the conservation of all native birds, that responsibility is higher for species with a large portion of their global population living in Canada. We assign each bird a score based on this proportion:
- Very High - over 75% occurs in Canada
- High - 50-74% occurs in Canada
- Moderate - 20-49% occurs in Canada
- Low - 1-19% occurs in Canada
- Very Low - less than 1% occur in Canada
- Not Applicable - non-native species
Population TrendsA population trend is a measure of how a population is doing over time - whether it has increased, decreased, or stayed about the same. We use 1970 as a starting point (or as close as possible), as it is the earliest date for which there are reliable monitoring data. The trends in The State of Canada's Birds use data from long-term monitoring programs. These trends are assigned to six categories, which are defined in the Summary section of this page.
This section begins with an explanation of trends for the national population and any subpopulations, and which data are used to determine those trends. Below the summary, you can view trend graphs of the best data sources for the species.
By default, the graph displays the Main Survey - the primary data source used to determine the national trend. Clicking the dropdown menu above the graph will show a list of Supporting Survey, which may vary in their geographic coverage or time period.
Main surveyLoading...The graphs in this section show a population index for the species. This means that rather than showing the number of individual birds, they show population change over time. The shape of the graph is what matters, as it tells us how a population is doing relative to where it started.
Each point on the graph is surrounded by error bars. These vertical lines show the degree of certainty for the point. Points with larger error bars are less certain, and points with smaller error bars are more certain.
Each graph in this section has a blue trend line. This line shows the best estimate of how the population has changed over time. For the main survey, the graph also contains a black line indicating the conservation goal for the species, and a pink shaded area indicating population levels outside the goal range. See Population Goals (next section) for more details.
Population GoalsThe State of Canada's Birds sets a population goal for every native bird species in Canada for which there are sufficient data. This goal indicates a level at which that species would be considered secure, and not of conservation concern. We determine goals using a complex framework that considers historic population size, current monitoring data, long-term trends, and other factors.
This section begins with an explanation of the goal for the species, followed by a box that displays the goal and status for each population in Canada. The national goal is shown by default, and if there are subpopulations, you can view them by clicking the "Subpopulations" tab.
CanadaPopulation GoalMaintain recent abundancePopulation status relative to goalWithin Goal RangeGoal is based on Christmas Bird CountPeregrine Falcon pealei subspeciesPopulation GoalSARA recovery goalPopulation status relative to goalBelow Goal RangeGoal is based on Breeding Bird SurveyPeregrine Falcon anatum/tundriusPopulation GoalMaintain recent abundancePopulation status relative to goalWithin Goal RangeGoal is based on Christmas Bird Count- Historical abundance - average from the first five years of the Main Survey
- Modern abundance - average from the five most recent years of the Main Survey
- Long-term average - average from all years of the Main Survey
Population goals are specific, but because even healthy populations fluctuate over time, some variability around the goal is expected. To allow for this variability, we define a goal range for each species with a lower limit for all and an upper limit for a few species in which overpopulation is an ecological concern. A population within its goal range is considered to be healthy, whereas a population below or above its goal range is of conservation concern.
For all species with sufficient data, we set a conservation target for 2050. We chose 2050 to align with the vision of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Where possible, that target is simply equal to the population goal. For species where current population levels or recent declines make full recovery impossible by 2050, we set an interim target to guide conservation efforts in the short term.
DesignationsThere are several authorities that assess the status of species and assign conservation designations. These authorities each have different objectives or geographic coverage, and each uses a different set of terms to describe the level of threat a species is facing.
This section provides all relevant designations the species has been assigned. The geographic area and the citation are also provided. Some designations may only apply to a particular subpopulation of the species, and that is indicated here also. A brief description of each designating authority is below.
- IUCN - The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List maintains status assessments of all bird species in the world. The IUCN status refers to the global population of the species.
- COSEWIC and SARA - The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assesses the Canadian populations of species, and makes recommendations to the Government of Canada for the listing of species-at-risk. If the government adopts the recommendations of COSEWIC, a species becomes listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA).
- Wild Species - The Wild Species reports are compiled every five years by a working group of representatives from all provincial and territorial governments and the federal government of Canada. They assess the current status of species in Canada, and flag species that are most at risk.
- PIF's Species of Continental Importance - Partners In Flight (PIF) is a cooperative venture of federal, state, provincial and territorial agencies, industry, non-governmental organizations, researchers, and others. PIF recognizes several categories of species of continental conservation importance, which are housed in the Avian Conservation Assessment Database.
Distribution and Occurrence TabThe interactive map in this section displays up-to-date data for the species from NatureCounts. These data can be viewed in three ways:
- Occurrence and Breeding - shows where the species had been recorded, with lighter and darker boxes to indicate the number of records in a given location.
- Number of Records - shows where the species had been recorded, with lighter and darker boxes to indicate the number of records in a given location.
- Population Trends - shows regional trends in population for the species, with different colours to indicate the direction and magnitude of the trend.
- eBird Abundance - shows the relative abundance of the species, with different colours indicating different seasons.
You may select from among these using the buttons on the bottom left of the map. A drop-down legend in the upper right corner of the map will help you understand the data, and allow you to add other layers to the map, such as Bird Conservation Regions.
To visit the NatureCounts website to further explore the data, click the link under the map titled "Want to explore more data?".
Seasonality in CanadaThe plot in this section shows the variation in reports of the species for each week of the year. The size of each bar represents the proportion of checklists from Citizen Science programs on which the species was reported. All bars are scaled relative to the maximum for the species, so they cannot be used to compare the abundance of one species to another.
It is important to note that this plot may not truly represent abundance for species that live in remote places or are otherwise difficult to detect at certain times of year. A brief explanation of the chart is provided for each species, which gives context and potential limitations. Probable nesting dates are also provided for each species.
Monitoring SpeciesCitizen Science plays an enormous role in monitoring the populations of birds in Canada. This section lists up to three Citizen Science programs through which you can help monitor the species.
ReportThe State of Canada's Birds Report uses the data found in the species accounts to examine trends in ten groups of birds in Canada. This section indicates the analysis groups in which the species was included, and provides a link to the report.
- Canadian Responsibility: While Canada has a responsibility for the conservation of all native birds, that responsibility is higher for species with a large portion of their global population living in Canada. We assign each bird a score based on this proportion:
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Population Estimates:
We provide up to three population estimates for each species, depending on available data: