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Caroline Goldman

HawkWatch International

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Website: www.hawkwatch.org

While Bald Eagles Soar, Trouble Ahead for America's Littlest Falcon

A new study released by three conservation organizations tracks population trends of migrating raptors in North America.

Salt Lake City, UT, [June 16, 2008] - The continued resurgence of America's national bird, the Bald Eagle, has been confirmed by a massive study just released by several conservation groups, which also points to a disturbing decline in the American Kestrel, the continent's smallest falcon.

The study also shows that Peregrine Falcons, who, like the Bald Eagle, were once endangered by the pesticide DDT, have bounced back strongly.

"The State of North America's Birds of Prey" confirms these trends and outlines a powerful new conservation tool called the Raptor Population Index Project (RPI), a collection of hawk migration count data from across the continent. Data from a network of independent migration monitoring sites is organized into a centralized database that allows researchers to monitor population trends of migrating raptors, a practice that helps conservationists protect species before they reach endangered status.

Raptor is a common term for birds of prey.

But scientists are concerned about the decline of the American Kestrel, a brightly colored and vivacious falcon that is one of the most common raptors in North America, often found in suburban areas.

"American Kestrels are still common in North America; they have not yet declined drastically enough to be considered threatened or endangered," says Dr. Jeff Smith, Conservation Science Director for HawkWatch International, one of three organizations publishing the new assessment. "But this is the benefit of our long-term, continental monitoring - we can now focus on making sure they stay common given the apparent signs of stress we have uncovered."

These trends are all part of a huge study built on "decades of staring at the sky, tracking migrating raptors," according to Caroline Goldman, Executive Director of HawkWatch International.

HawkWatch International, along with the Hawk Migration Association of North America and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania, have combined forces to produce the most comprehensive assessment to date of how birds of prey are faring in North America. "This book deepens our understanding of hawk migration and illuminates raptors' conservation status," said Goldman.

Goldman pointed out that less than a century ago hawks were more likely to be shot than studied.

"Now we know they're a crucial part of the environment," Smith said. "As top predators, raptors can serve as an early warning system for problems arising in their ecosystems - ecosystems that would melt down in their absence. Monitoring their numbers year to year can give us an early jump on identifying emerging threats before they reach emergency proportions - an opportunity we now have with the American Kestrel."

Salt Lake City-based HawkWatch International has built a broad network of migration-monitoring sites to track raptor population trends in the western U.S. and around the Gulf of Mexico. The 14 sites extend across ten U.S. states and Mexico, where volunteers count passing raptors during the spring and fall migration seasons. The longest-running of these sites maintains more than 30 years of continuous data.

Findings presented in the new book also suggest strong increasing trends for two of North America's kite species - Swallow-tailed Kite and Mississippi Kite - around the Gulf Coast. This is particularly welcome news for the former species, as widespread, human-induced habitat change drove Swallow-tailed Kites from much of their historic range along the Mississippi River corridor by the early 1900s. In contrast, growing signs of potential stress for Golden Eagles continue in the West, likely a result of widespread habitat change resulting from invasion of non-native grasses and changing fire dynamics. Widespread drought also has caused recent declines for many raptor species in the West.

These trends will continue to be monitored by the RPI partner organizations and other local efforts.

Created as a tool to inform conservation and wildlife management, RPI uses standardized, long-term migration count data from watch sites stretching from Canada to Mexico and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Results will inform the scientific community, provide decision support for conservation endeavors, and educate the general public, as well as fill a critical gap in continental raptor monitoring programs. By working cooperatively across geographic boundaries and using state-of-the-art quantitative analysis tools, RPI is rapidly becoming a model for standardized species monitoring at a continental scale.

The book is being published by the Nuttall Ornithological Club and the American Ornithologists' Union and is available through Buteo Books by calling 434-263-8671, visiting www.buteobooks.com, or emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

"It's not a casual read," Goldman said, "but it's a crucial new tool for policy-makers, conservation agencies, and scientists."

"Authoritative yet highly readable, this landmark presentation represents the first continental-wide assessment of the status of North America's birds of prey," said Dr. Keith Bildstein, Sarkis Acopian Director of Conservation Science at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. "Based largely on migration counts from raptor watchsites, the book highlights the role that this essential tool plays in raptor conservation."

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Advisory: Photos of raptors available for editorial use.