Wildlife Report
Idaho, Montana, Colorado State Birds OK, Others in Decline
But habitat conservation has reversed some previous declines, offering hope for more species.By Jill Kuraitis, 3-19-09
In the West, the Pine Siskin population is declining.
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has released the first ever comprehensive report on bird populations in the United States, showing that nearly a third of the nation’s 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in significant decline due to habitat loss, invasive species, and other threats.
The U.S. State of the Birds used data from three long-running bird censuses conducted by thousands of citizen scientists and professional biologists, including data from the famed Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
This interesting page has lists of where the most common birds are.
Saying that birds today “are a bellwether of the health of land, water, and ecosystems,” Salazar said bird population trends are “disturbing” and should “set off environmental alarm bells.”
47% of western game bird species are in decline.
10% of forest and dry habitat birds have declining populations. But the state birds of Colorado, Idaho and Montana are doing well. Right to left:
Colorado’s Lark Bunting 
Idaho’s Mountain Bluebird 
and
Montana’s Western Meadowlark. 
By contrast, the populations of urban and backyard birds have increased 20% over 40 years, but it’s mostly due to gulls and doves.
At the same time, the report highlights examples, including many species of waterfowl, where habitat restoration and conservation have reversed previous declines, offering hope that it is not too late to take action to save declining populations.
There are more than 800 species of birds in American which live in terrestrial, coastal, and ocean habitats, including Hawaii. 67 of them are federally listed as endangered or threatened, and more than 184 are species of conservation concern because of their small distribution, high threats, or declining populations.
Since habitat availability and quality is the key to healthy, thriving bird population, the report explores different habitat types and the threats they and the birds that depend on them face, and offers recommendations to protect and restore them.
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Silly me. I knew that. It's been corrected, and thanks.
I continue to think habitat loss needs a better definition, because the insinuation is that habitat loss is the driver. The ocean is a lot more pristine than land, and there are few fish left. They were killed by fishermen, over time, by the billions of tons annually. Directed killing is not a habitat issue. Cats are a huge impact, and forgiven by the majority. Until we deal with cats and night lighting, habitat is a straw man for pet food sellers, and the huge industry now maintained to produce pet care in lieu of child care in a country increasingly disinterested in children.
I wonder, at times, how the SPCA and PETA can support the feeders of feral cats, and their saviour health intervenors, when those very same cats are not going to distinguish between an ESA listed bird and a starling when it comes to killing. We will never recover salmon until we quit killing them for sport or sale for at least one or maybe two complete life cycles, nor are we going to slow the slaughter of birds until we deal with domestic cats, high rise lighting, AND habitat issues. In the meantime, useless hand wringing has done no good for the last three decades of pointed instruction from biologists noting that the little old lady's pussy cat is the problem. The ones with fifty cats are a disaster.
But this is a political nation, and no Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi, let alone a BH Obama, is going to address a serious reduction in pussy cats. Votes are at stake. So when the birds are gone, it is your job to point the finger of journalism at the politicians who never took on the problem, sought answers and bird protection from cats domestic and feral. Maybe it is a godsend that cougars, coyotes, and soon maybe wolves, will be in suburbia for the available food source of urban possums, nutria, racoons, dogs and cats. Keep the kids in the house and let the pets out to P&P;at your risk. Let nature's balancing act work. The apex predators are wanted, needed, and should be accepted with open arms. From inside the house, of course. Let the apex predators save the birds.
A female Anna's hummingbird looked in the window at me this morning, so I put out 4 @ about two ounce little one port feeders. I am sitting here seeing her shadow in the bricks as she feeds this afternoon. Now I have domesticated a hummer for the year. Damn. I will have to keep filled and clean the feeders from now until november. I do have three hummingbird nest boxes out. They are cute contraptions. A guy in South Beach, Oregon (Newport) over on the coast builds them and sells them at home and garden shows.
Wyoming needs to change its official state bird, if for no other reason that to avoid paying license and royalty fees to Montana. The much more appropriate chpice for Wyoming's state bird would be the Common Magpie. It is an entirely lovely bird of the Crow family , ubiquitous to the point it probably outnumbers the state's human population ( but so do domestic sheep and cows) . The Magpie is quite clever, but not necessarily knowledgeable.
But the main reason it needs to be our State Bird is the Magpie is a scavenger. Since Wyoming is a Second World colony exploited by multinational energy and mineral corporations, the demeanor of the Magpie is a good fit with the state's commodity resource extraction industry . Both Wyoming and Magpies feed on any and all available carcasses.
If you split a Magpie's tongue tip about 3/4 inch to fork it, a Magpie can be trained to mimic-talk like a parrot ( just not as articulately). It could therefore be trained to be the only state bird that is also a spokesperson , thusly trained to squawk the official policy lingo when prompted . Remember, Wyoming like All Gaul is composed of three dominions: animal, vegetable, and mineral. The Magpie serves all, and asks only for a little roadkill in return. It will never be endangered , along with its friend the Coyote.
Perfect.
We have a lot of fascinating opinionaters at NewWest.Net, but I must say that this is our first comment about Magpie lip-splitting. It also points out that there ARE jobs out there if you look hard enough. Someone has to train these bad boys for media appearances, right?
That Slit Tongue story came to me in my childhood from my mother. The man she almost married instead of my dad was a renowned local character. He was reputed to have raided Magpie nests aplenty and raised the young birds as pets. Apparently you need to use a young imprinted magpie if you intend it to be an avian orator. He also kept "pet" deer, fox, and raccoon , and worked at a local chinchilla and mink fur farm as a kid. My mom probably should've married him , but then I wouldn't be writing you , would I ?
I still believe the Magpie should be formalized as Wyoming's state bird , because its demeanor and lifestyle accurately reflects the "Wyoming Way". Imagine what a gret hit it would be at political gatherings to have this black and white bird sitting on your shoulder like a pirate's parrot, squawking aloud " Drill, Baby , Drill..."
But I would train MY Magpie a little differently. It would quote Mark Twain or Will Rogers, perhaps.
I also vaguely recall that Mr. Jimmy the nest raider related that any member of the Crow family could be modified thus and so , and taught to talk. He said Ravens were especially good at it.
Somebody needs to try this... the best Magpie story I have is the old widower codger who lived alongside the long Par 5 fairway at Cody's golf course. He had a semi-domesticated Magpie that would pester the passing golfers and learned to steal their little white balls. Talk about an unplayable lie....
I think magpies are a great bird. We call them tattletales. They will be on carrion, and when you see a bunch fly up, my inclination is to go have a look-see to observe who or what died.
My chukar hunting friends refer to them as "Polish Pintails." I guess they are easy to decoy into road kill. Just kidding. Road pizza, flat cat, horizontal 'possum do attract critters, especially in winter when the going gets tough.
Another observation is that magpies sometimes will all show up at the same place for whatever reason only they know. That tiding of magpies becomes a congregation, and the noise is loud enough to make you wonder what they are all excited about.
Split tongue talking corvids is in children's literature somewhere. I remember reading about as a kid in some 3rd grade literature.
http://www.livelatina.com/_live/?id=8461&p=4