Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the WatchList?
A: WatchList is a compilation of the most imperiled bird species in the United States-birds that are either on the brink of extinction or will keep moving in that direction unless we intercede with urgent conservation action. (The red list species are in the most dire straits and most vulnerable to extinctions. Yellow list birds are a bit better off, but still headed toward the brink if action isn't taken to stop their declines). WatchList gives us a valuable tool to help prioritize conservation actions and investments while there's still enough time to make a difference. It's also a crucial chapter in Audubon's expanding reporting on the State of the Birds.

Q: Who conducts the study?
A: The data from which the WatchList is developed stem from the latest and best research and assessments from across the scientific landscape, in federal and state agencies, academia, and non-governmental organizations. For example, population trend data include information from the Christmas Bird Count and Breeding Bird Surveys; range information comes from NatureServe maps; and threat data from a range of federal, state and NGO planning processes. Analyses were conduced by the co-authors from Audubon and American Bird Conservancy, along with scientists affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory and Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Q: What is the methodology?
A: The analysis is based on standard methodology developed by Partners in Flight and enhanced through extensive scientific review and input, including a review published in The Auk, the leading North American journal for ornithology. All birds are ranked on a scale of 1-5 (the higher the number, the greater the concern) for:

• Current population size
• Population trend
• Range size
• Threats

The WatchList score is the sum of the four sub-scores. Birds with a score of twenty are at greatest risk for extinction, including Gunnison Sage-Grouse, California Condor, Whooping Crane, Piping Plover, Black-capped Vireo, Florida Scrub-Jay, Golden-cheeked Warbler, and Kirtland's Warbler.

Q: Why is this report important?
A: We can't save species or address the threats to their survival without agreement on where to begin. By combining the latest data from conservation research and using analytical techniques honed through extensive peer-review, WatchList 2007 gives us an essential starting point for prioritizing our actions and investments. Two of the nation's leading bird conservation organizations are behind WatchList 2007, and we hope to see it adopted as a universal standard for establishing this type of priority list.

Q: Why are these 20 species in particular highlighted?
A: The birds highlighted in our press release represent those that regularly breed in the 49 continental states that rank at greatest risk for extinction (scores eighteen, nineteen, or twenty).

Q: When was the last WatchList report produced?
A: Audubon's last national WatchList was issued in 2002. Similar lists by the same or different names have been issued periodically by other organizations. We hope that the methodology employed here can become an improved, science-based standard to foster greater agreement on a vital tool for prioritizing conservation action and investments.

Q: When will the next report come out?
A: The WatchList will be revised in three to five years.

Q: What's the difference between this list and the one Audubon issued in June? (Common Birds In Decline)
A: Birds on both lists share the unfortunate distinction that they face significant conservation challenges. And the trends revealed by both lists tell us something is amiss with the state of the environment they share with us. However, as the name implies, the Common Birds in Decline, while experiencing very substantial decreases in population, are sufficiently abundant and widespread that they can weather population declines for a long time without becoming extinct.

The same is not true for many of the WatchList species. Red WatchList birds face the quadruple whammy of already-small populations and limited ranges, combined with shrinking populations trends and continued threats. Without prompt conservation action, they will be forced over the brink of extinction or rapidly close to that fate. Yellow WatchList birds (Declining) may soon reach low enough population levels that they will be considered in danger of extinction. Yellow WatchList birds (Rare) are not currently declining, but are rare enough that any future population declines would be very threatening to their survival.

Q: How does this year's WatchList differ from the last report?
A: It employs a host of new data and an improved methodology for identifying the species at greatest risk.

Q: Were there any surprises?
A: Experts have seen the changes as they've developed; the WatchList enables us to quantify and compare them.

Q: Have any birds come off the list or become more extreme cases?
A: We have seen several come off the list due to significant conservation actions that dramatically improved their status; others are in more serious straits due to the lack of adequate response and the worsening of threats.

Q: If so, which ones?
A: Off the list due to improvement: Bald Eagle, Ferruginous Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Osprey, Brown Pelican, and Worm-eating Warbler. In worse condition: Gunnison Sage-Grouse, Kittlitz's Murrelet, Ivory Gull, Seaside Sparrow, and Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow.

Q: Are there particular regions/states that are being especially hard hit?
A: Alaska (global warming and energy projects) and Florida (rapid development), among the continental states; and Hawaii (global warming and non-native invasive species).

Q: What are the key factors driving species loss?
A: Loss and degradation of habitat are always primary factors in pushing species toward the brink. That's why so many grassland species appear on WatchList 2007. Global warming and misguided development policies will exacerbate their problems-and ours-which is why birds are such important indicators and reminders to look out for our own well being. For the birds, the Endangered Species Act can provide critical help to ensure survival and recovery, but many on the WatchList have yet to receive its protections

Q: How does losing bird species affect me?
A: Birds are great indicators of the health of the world they share with us-when they're disappearing, it is often a sign of peril for us and other life as well. Beyond the self-interest, most people would agree that birds are a source of wonder and beauty that should not be squandered.

Q: What can be done to prevent further bird species loss?
A: We can ensure they get the kind of conservation planning and action needed, in part by setting priorities based on the kind of risk information the WatchList provides. More specifically, we can take action to protect their specific habitats, as well as to address large scale problems such as global warming, acid rain and the spread of invasive species.

Q: Have any birds on previous WatchLists become extinct?
A: Since 2002, Hawaii's Po'o-uli is thought to have slipped into extinction. We hope to avoid that fate for birds on WatchList 2007.

Q: How much is it going to cost to reach your objectives?
A: It's difficult to put a price tag on all that would be needed to save every WatchList species. (What will it cost to deal with global warming or stop the spread of invasive species?) But it's harder still to estimate the toll of losing them on the health and quality of our world, or all the benefits to people and the planet that would come along with efforts to save them.