NEW YORK, N.Y. (March 2, 2016) – For the first time ever, Spanish speakers have online access to the National Audubon Society's Guide to North American Birds (La Guía de Aves de América del Norte). Along with the complete field guide, the nation’s largest and oldest bird conservation group has also translated its award-winning Audubon magazine content, select web-only news stories and updates from the Audubon network.
“Birds don’t know borders and neither do the threats they face,” said David Yarnold, Audubon president and CEO. “Birds deal with climate change, the loss of places to live and other dangers across the hemisphere. Bringing Audubon’s content to Spanish-speaking communities will enable more people to care for the amazing wildlife we share.”
Audubon will engage a growing audience to keep making progress on conservation efforts on behalf of birds in the United States and the Americas, many of which rely on habitat in several different countries along migratory pathways. The United States and Canada share many birds with Latin American and Caribbean countries, including more than 380 neotropical migrants that spend half their life or more south of the U.S. border. Audubon is the United States partner for BirdLife International, the world’s largest nature conservation partnership.
“Birds are wonderful, and everyone should have a chance to enjoy them,” writes Kenn Kaufman, Audubon’s field editor. “By encouraging more people to appreciate birds today, we build support for actions that will lead to the survival of more birds tomorrow.”
The current Audubon network includes 1,000,000 members and supporters, 462 chapters, 41 centers and 23 state offices in the United States. Audubon and its 18 BirdLife partners in the Americas have identified, monitored and designated more than 4,900 Important Bird Areas in the Western Hemisphere, an area totaling over 1 billion acres, which provides habitat for 701 threatened species.
By the Numbers Look at Why Audubon.org in Spanish Makes Sense
- More than 80% of bird species in the Guide to North American Birds can also be found in Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Conversely, every Latin American and Caribbean country has at least one species found in the Guide to North American Birds.
- Climate change threatens 314 species of birds in North America.
- A record 35.8 million U.S. Hispanics speak Spanish at home.
- 79% of U.S. Hispanics believe it is extremely or very important to protect U.S. wildlife, public lands and endangered species.
- 66% of U.S. Hispanics believe climate change is mostly caused by human activities.
To visit the Audubon website in Spanish, please visit www.audubon.org/es/inicio. To read a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service demographic analysis of birdwatching in the United States, please click here.
The National Audubon Society saves birds and their habitats throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation. Audubon's state programs, nature centers, chapters and partners have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, Audubon's vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Audubon is a nonprofit conservation organization. Learn more at www.audubon.org and @audubonsociety.
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Contact: Nicolas Gonzalez, ngonzalez@audubon.org, (212) 979-3068