09-12: The 2025 State of the Birds

The State of the Birds is a report put out by a veritable who’s who of bird-related non-profit organizations, with the goal of sharing the current state, both positive and negative, of bird populations and bird conservation initiatives in the United States. The 2025 report builds on the last incarnation of the SOTB, but unfortunately finds many of the same issues vexing birds and bird conservation. In a podcast crossover episode with Mike Braesher of Ducks Unlimited and the Ducks Unlimited Podcast, the ABA welcomes Mike, Amanda Rodewald of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bradley Wilkinson of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies to talk about the report, and what birders can continue to do to support bird science and bird conservation.

Also, the recent loss of birding luminary Victor Emanuel stung many in the bird world. We celebrate him here. For more, see Pete Dunne’s essay on Victor’s legacy on the ABA website.