That same year scientists delivered the shocking news that one in four birds in the US and Canada have disappeared since 1970—nearly three billion birds. The vanished species span the spectrum from meadowlarks, warblers, and swallows, to common backyard birds such as robins and sparrows. They’re gone from all habitats, seashore, forest, grasslands, desert, tundra, probably due primarily to habitat loss from development and agriculture, as well as pesticide use.
