Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/climate/bird-declines.html?unlocked_article_code=1.PFA.Gkix.4wW3IJ51WFuw

Birds in the United States are not only declining, but they are declining faster, especially in areas with intensive agriculture, according to new research. Overall drops in bird population, measured from 1987 to 2021, were sharpest in warm and warming areas, suggesting that climate change may play a role.

...

. “What we found is that any metric of agricultural intensity was always the best predictor of acceleration of the decline.”

We are a walking, talking extinction event: Welcome to the Holocene Era!

Part of me tries to rationalize the current state of the world as a last gasp by those who know we're all doomed and can't change anything. The elite and powerful. And instead of trying to fix anything, they've all decided they're gonna go balls to the wall before it's all fucked beyond repair.

Seems like that would just piss off 99% of the population and ensure those responsible a terrible fate once billions of desperate humans get so fed up they'll become capable of pretty much anything. I'm guessing a lot of these people are already so old they don't care or so insulated the don't understand the danger they're putting themselves in.

We will end up as an oily radioactive smear in the geological record. And that’s fine with me.

When you kill all the bugs, you kill all the birds who eat bugs, too?

UNFATHOMABLE

And they think they want to live forever too. Like Zuck with his bunkers, who tf is going to take care of him when it all goes to shit? Money isn't going to be worth anything. Maybe that's why he trained for MMA, lol.

Also people that let their cats outside are part of this problem.

Mine stays inside for just this reason.

Cats are the cutest, most precious little cuddly things. But they need to all be indoors. Every single one of them.

Yep, same. Plus they live healthier lives indoors and are far less likely to be injured.

That dude is going to get blasted by his head of security before they run out of caviar.

In contrast my dogs have become pals with our neighbours up in the back tree.

Every afternoon around the same time, the birds land on the back porch and call them out,. Even if the dogs are snoozing they instantly get up and sprint outside, then a round of chasey-swoopy happens for a few mins before they all come up and sit on the back porch together for a while. This happens every day about an hour before sunset for a couple years now.

Cool birds too. If I go out there and sit with everyone, the bravest bird some times perches on my arm with the temptation a small bit of ham.

The next time my cat glares at me for keeping her inside, I'll point her to this and argue that birds already have enough problems. She can chase me and the string around the house to get the hunties out of her system

All the insects that are gone

Cats!

Territory disappearing faster

Pollution

Insecticides / pesticides

It's a wonder there are any birds left

We're all fucked :)

I think this decline concerns only the nice birdies.

Definitely not them flying rat ones like Black Geese, Gulls and Feral Pigeons. They seem like multiplying. And shitting everything.

Start reducing cat feeding people?

I've got nine laying hens and will probably get a few more this year. I'm doing my part.

Also I have all sorts of bird feeders. I've got one of those ones that sits in the window, and a damn squirrel keeps on coming into it and taking all the seeds. My dogs growl at him...and he fucking growls back, the little shit.

It's an ongoing feud.

Make the seeds spicy. The squirrel will stay away after an attempt or two and the birds don't have the receptors for the spice to bother them.

Unfortunately, they did it. They won if that was their goal. We could still get vengeance but we're not preventing anything.

He's gonna pull a Ted Faro

Oh that's brilliant. I should've thought of that. I usually rub my pumpkins with Frank's Red Hot (I put that shit on everything) to keep the squirrels from eating them.

Ya’ll ain’t heard yet?
Birds aren’t real.

Birds became vegan, counting calories and pumping in the gym. They aint gone they adapted.

My cats have a blast inside and don't hunt birds to extinction or get run over by cars. I'm fine with it, and so are they.

Cayenne Pepper is usually the go to for birdseed. Have a video cam you can point out there? It would have led to hilarious footage if I had thought to record.

There is still an active bird influenza killing birds.

Any idea what kind of bird they are?

Yeah, but they're native to this region and I've already had one family member track me down through Lemmy recently lol.

They're comparable to a crow in size and intelligence. But unlike a crow they have a beautiful song as well. They're very social too

So, yeah, it's very sad to see one get taken out by someone's housecat.

Oh, I didn't mean to dox you and your family 😅 very cool! Glad you get to have fun with them!

Oh, don't worry about it. That's a me thing to worry about, not yours. I really wanted to answer your question but couldn't without being weird about it.

Point is; no matter where you are on this planet, birds are incredible. Many are super smart and so become friends or acquaintances.

It's very sad to see them taken out by cat owners (I'll never blame the cat).

Inconceivable!

Damn those windmills!

/s if that wasn’t clear

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means