American Bird Conservancy

🏝️ Islands are small ecosystems, but they are by no means static. They are critical stopover habitats for migratory birds, providing resources to continue their journeys north and south. A few species, like the Kirtland's Warbler, call islands home for half the year! 98 out of 101 threatened seabird species come in from their wanderings over the open ocean to nest on islands, bringing with them nutrients from the prey they have taken at sea, and replenishing nutrients on land. Coral reefs benefit from their return: seabird guano improves the growth, settlement, and productivity of coral and increases fish biomass (the total quantity of an organism or organisms in a given area). A crucial, if crappy, contribution! Get the full info-dump on seabirds at https://bit.ly/4aNxARi and join us for Thursday's Seabird Webinar! 🎫 RSVP: https://lnkd.in/g53HyDPQ #SeabirdConservation #WildlifeWebinar #NatureWebinar #BirdConservation #IslandConservation #IslandBirds #SeabirdScience

📢 Urge Congress to Support Key Bills to Reduce Marine Plastic Pollution! Plastic pollution is devastating marine environments. Each year, a staggering 17 BILLION pounds of plastic enter our oceans. This waste is catastrophic for wildlife — many suffer injuries or death from ingesting or becoming entangled in plastic debris. 90% of seabirds have ingested plastic, and consequences include digestive blockages and plasticosis — a newly identified disease in seabirds that causes digestive tract inflammation. But you can help make a difference! Right now, Congress is considering key bills to tackle plastic pollution: ✔️ Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act: Mandates corporate responsibility, single-use plastic reduction, grant programs, and more. ✔️ REDUCE Act: Establishes a tax on virgin plastic resin and a plastic waste reduction fund. ✔️ Reducing Waste in National Parks Act: Directs the National Park Service to reduce and eliminate disposable plastic products. ✔️ Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act: Directs the EPA to set national discharge limits for plastic pellets. Your voice matters! Sign the American Bird Conservancy petition and urge your Congressional representatives to pass these crucial bills. 🌎💙 ✍️ https://lnkd.in/gTVsBgN3 #EndPlasticPollution #SaveOurOceans #BreakFreeFromPlastic #MarineConservation #ReducePlasticWaste #PlasticPollutionCrisis #PlasticsPetition #SustainableFuture #REDUCEact #NationalParks #PlasticPelletFreeWaters

They may not be the first animals you look for at the aquarium, but seabirds ARE marine animals — every bit as ocean-dwelling as sea turtles! 🐢 These pelagic (open ocean) birds are prepared for life among the whipping winds and churning waves. 🌊 Seabirds spend far more of their lives at sea than on land. Seabirds like the Black-footed Albatross (Ka'upu) spend long stretches of many months out on the water, coming to land only to nest. Terrestrial habitat just doesn't suit seabirds the way it does other birds: their bodies are built for life on and above the waves, and some struggle even to walk on land. Specialized glands above the eyes of an albatross allow it to process saltwater, the excess salt then dripping from its beak. Boasting strong and sturdy wingspans of up to 11 feet, albatrosses can soar with scarcely a wing flap. Their flight style, known as dynamic soaring, begins with a windward climb before they curve downwind and descend, where they turn once more to catch the wind. It's a kind of waving, arcing flight pattern, but their ability to make use of the differences in the wind's speed or direction allows them to stay aloft and fly almost effortlessly. Learn more about ocean habitats and ocean birds at https://bit.ly/4aNxARi and by joining our webinar on Thursday, July 25th! Register at https://lnkd.in/g6mTcYtz. 📷 Black-footed Albatross in flight by Agami Photo Agency. #SeabirdConservation #WildlifeWebinar #NatureWebinar #BirdConservation #SeabirdScience

Oceans are vast and poorly understood. Seabirds are almost equally mysterious, and we know precious little about their lives (Scientists only just learned where Ringed Storm-Petrels nest in 2017!). As seabirds soar above the waves, eking out existences in severe saltwater environments, what we do learn about them can reveal crucial information about the state of our world's waters and reinforce how intimately connected we are to oceans. Wisdom, a Laysan Albatross, is the oldest living bird on record — at least 72 years old! Each year, having logged tens of thousands of flight miles, she returns to shore on Midway Atoll. As she does, she brings nutrients with her from parts of the ocean most of us will never see. Those nutrients help restore the soil on the island she visits only briefly. Wisdom also brings the plastic that has entered the ocean with her, a reminder of just how far human actions can ripple. Oceans are closer to us than we think. Visit https://bit.ly/4f1vikL to read more about what we’re learning from Wisdom and seabirds like her via our partners at Friends of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. #WisdomTheAlbatross #LaysanAlbatross #SeabirdScience FRIENDS OF MIDWAY ATOLL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

🌊✨ Meet the rarest Alcid (or Auk) in the world: The Guadalupe Murrelet! This week, our Bird of the Week is a truly tiny marvel, about the size of an American Robin but more than twice as heavy! Found only off the Baja California and California coasts, these amazing ocean-dwelling birds only come ashore to breed. 🐣 Just TWO DAYS after hatching, fluffy chicks follow their parents out to sea. Still unable to fly, they bravely (if unsteadily) navigate rough terrain on foot, jumping from high cliffs to reach the ocean. Once reunited, the family swims out, where the parents give the chicks their first meal. 🏝️ ABC and Mexican partner Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas, A.C. (GECI) are leading vital efforts to restore and protect the breeding sites of Guadalupe Murrelets. Discover more about these fascinating birds and the ongoing conservation work at https://lnkd.in/gNvCDq2r. #BirdOfTheWeek #GuadalupeMurrelet

Seabirds were humans' first companions when we ventured onto the ocean. 🛶 Ever since, their resilience in some of the harshest conditions on Earth has captivated our imaginations. But even these champions of the bird world are struggling to withstand human-caused threats like invasive species, unsustainable fisheries, and marine trash. 🚮 That’s why American Bird Conservancy's Marine Program works tirelessly with partners to safeguard the most vulnerable seabird species both while at sea and on land where they nest. Join us for a free webinar on Thursday, July 25, at 4 p.m. ET to learn about the latest seabird conservation science from ABC experts and partners, including: 🌊 Sea McKeon, Marine Program Director, ABC 🔭 Fernando Medrano, Deputy Director, Red de Observadores de Aves y Vida Silvestre de Chile 🧑⚕️ Kate Huyvaert, Professor and researcher, Washington State University Busy at that time? We get it! RSVP anyway and we'll email you a recording to enjoy when the time is right for you! 📽️ https://bit.ly/3LgNnxJ 🚢 "Sea" you next week! 🐧 #SeabirdConservation #WildlifeWebinar #NatureWebinar #BirdConservation #SeabirdScience Jordan E. Rutter

🎉 A 2023 expedition to Makira, the largest and most intact forest in Madagascar, found 21 species that had been lost to science. 🦎🕷🐟 🥾 However, one species eluded the Search for Lost Species team... 🪶“The Dusky Tetraka is a really enigmatic species,” shares American Bird Conservancy’s John C. Mittermeier, director of the Search For Lost Birds. “After finding it in 2022, we had a good idea of what habitat to look for and what the bird sounds like, but we still weren’t able to find it again. So, the plot thickens. There’s definitely more to discover about this unique bird and it’s surprising and potentially concerning that we weren’t able to find it in Makira.” 🌳This Search for Lost Species expedition included teams from Re:wild, The University of Antananarivo, American Bird Conservancy, The Peregrine Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Biodiversity Inventory for Conservation (BINCO), as well as local guides. It was the first multi-taxa expedition by The Search for Lost Species. Learn more about their findings at https://bit.ly/3zOoLtK. WCS Madagascar

“Seabirds and humans share a perspective on the ocean unlike anything else on the planet. They have been a part of human exploration of the ocean from the start; icons of the comedy, grace, and challenge of a life at sea,” says Sea McKeon, Marine Program Director for American Bird Conservancy. “They have been our teachers of geography and guides home. They have been helping us find fish, and read the weather before we knew how to use steel, let alone a barometer. And now, more than ever, they need our help.” You can help us make the world's oceans safer places for birds. Learn how at https://bit.ly/4aNxARi.

Many of us are best acquainted with our oceans from our perspective on the beach, where shorebirds, like the Wilson’s Plover, skitter about and Black Skimmers fly overhead, as illustrated here by Chris Vest. We can hardly imagine the vastness of the world's oceans, much less experience them as a seabird does, traveling thousands of miles over open water each year. But oceans are much more than the tiny slivers most of us experience at their edges. Oceans — from sandy beaches to deep-sea environments — are habitats. Support ABC's Marine Program in our efforts to research and implement strategies for seabird and shorebird conservation by visiting https://bit.ly/46jcl9v.

If you read part one of our “Treequently" Asked Questions series, you learned about one side of American Bird Conservancy's work with trees: tree planting. 🌲 While ABC has planted a LOT of trees (more than 7.7 million to date throughout the Western Hemisphere!) thanks to the efforts of our partners and supporters, we’re also engaged in the day-to-day management of forests so that they can meet the needs of birds, other wildlife, and even people. Find answers to your questions about forest management for bird conservation at https://bit.ly/4f0eOcE. You'll get answers to questions like these, and more! 🪚 Some people have the impression that cutting down trees is universally bad. Why is ABC doing it in certain situations? 🤝 How are local communities, landowners, nonprofits, and other parties involved in timber harvesting or forest management? 🔥How does prescribed fire fit into ABC's work? ♻️ Is the forestry industry more sustainably run now, or is it just bird-friendly sites? Leafed through the blog but didn’t find an answer to your question? 🍃 Drop a comment below, and we’ll get to the root of it! 🌳 #BirdConservation #TreeFAQ #ForestManagement #KirtlandsWarbler #ForestHealth #TreePlanting #SustainableForestry #HabitatRestoration #PrescribedFire #Silviculture #TraditionalEcologicalKnowledge Molly Toth Steve Roels, PhD Jayme Strange Michael Paling, CF International Paper Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture