Audubon Watchlists

Peregrine Falcon

Photo credit: Ron Winch

The National Audubon Society WatchList

One quarter of U.S. birds need our help to keep them from slipping toward extinction

A Call to Action

Audubon and the America Bird Conservancy joined forces to rally conservationists around America’s most imperiled birds. WatchList 2007, an analysis from these leading bird conservation organizations, uses the latest available research from the bird conservation community along with citizen science data from the Christmas Bird Count and the annual Breeding Bird Survey to identify 176 species in the continental U.S. and 38 in Hawaii that are in need of immediate conservation help. It is a call to action to save species fighting for survival amid a convergence of environmental challenges, including habitat loss, invasive species and global warming.

A Tool for Conservation

Identifying the species at greatest risk is the first step toward saving them. It helps target public policies, funding support, conservation initiatives and public commitment on the species and habitats that need it most. The newest chapter in Audubon’s ongoing State of the Birds Reports, WatchList 2007 lays the groundwork for an “industry standard” to guide conservation priorities among conservation organizations and government agencies.

By dividing imperiled birds into 59 continental and 38 Hawaiian “red” species, and 117 “yellow” species, WatchList 2007 helps focus highest attention on the species of greatest concern (red), while also highlighting “yellow” species while there is still time to keep them off the red list. Learn more.

The Audubon Minnesota Watch List

Sixty bird species in Minnesota face significant conservation challenges

In Minnesota, 324 bird species regularly inhabit our state. Of these birds, Audubon Minnesota has identified 60 species that face one or more significant challenges: their populations are small and/or declining, they have very limited geographical range, and/or there are threats to their breeding, winter, or migration habitats.

The Audubon Minnesota Action List identifies these 60 species, their conservation status, and reasons for concern. By identifying those birds needing urgent help in Minnesota, conservation efforts can be prioritized. Many of these birds are also on National Audubon’s nationwide Watch List, which comprises 217 species that are in the greatest need of immediate conservation help. Learn more.