Advancing civilization puts birds in peril

SEATTLE — Nearly one-third of Washington’s bird species are at risk because of urban sprawl, pollution and other environmental threats, according to a new report from the Audubon Society’s state field office.

Habitat loss has dealt the biggest blow, the report said, with suburban roads and housing tracts replacing forests, grasslands and other ecosystems to make room for a population that more than doubled — to 6 million — from 1950 to 2000.

“Such sprawl fragments natural landscapes so that birds and other wildlife have only small ‘islands’ suitable for their needs,” Tim Cullinan, Audubon Washington’s director of science and conservation, wrote in the report, released Thursday and billed as the first of its kind in the country.

“These tiny remnants of native lands and waters often are not sufficient to sustain viable populations of some species, because food sources are limited, breeding habitat is scarce, and a single natural disaster can wipe out a critical ‘island.”’

Out of 317 bird species that live in or migrate through Washington, 93 species and four subspecies are vulnerable to steep population declines, the report said.

The birds deemed most at risk include the marbled murrelet, spotted owl, snowy plover, American bittern, northern goshawk, white-headed woodpecker, long-tailed curlew, ferruginous hawk and streaked horned lark.

The report broke down the state’s six major bird habitats and outlined what’s been lost since European settlement:

•At least 70 percent of Puget Sound’s estuarine wetlands, where the confluence of sea water and rivers draws various seabirds and shorebirds.

•About one-third of the state’s food-rich wetlands, which support more than 125 species of birds.

•At least 50 percent of streamside habitat, home to 68 species of neotropical migrant songbirds and resident birds.

•Ninety-seven percent of western old-growth and 85 percent of eastern old-growth forests, a loss that has squeezed about 132 species of resident and migrant birds into higher elevations that are less productive.

•About 60 percent of the state’s shrub steppe, with the rest fragmented, limiting feeding grounds for about 60 species.

•Seventy percent of grassland lost or fragmented by invasive, nonnative grasses.

Information in the report came from peer-reviewed scientific literature, university and government reports, and databases maintained by government and nongovernmental organizations.

Ornithological experts reviewed the material, and two panels of bird experts helped rank all the species into three categories: those of immediate concern, those of high concern and “early warning” birds.

The report recommends a number of steps be taken to improve birds’ chances of survival:

•Replace grass with bird-friendly native plants and stop using pesticides.

•Create shared backyard wildlife sanctuaries.

•Urge cities to adopt chemical-free maintenance for public parks, roads, lands and waters.

•Vote to safeguard open space and limit urban sprawl.

•Buy shade-grown organic coffee, cultivated to protect bird habitat.

The report suggests there are compelling economic reasons to do a better job protecting birds.

“Insect-eating birds on farms, in woodlands, and in cities reduce the need for chemical pest control,” the report said. “Birds are also voracious eaters of weed plants and nuisance rodents. They provide us with ‘free ecological services’ and are unheralded assistants to farmers, foresters and gardeners.”

They also draw out lots of people who infuse millions of dollars into the state’s economy during their bird-watching trips.

Earlier this year, the Legislature passed a bill allowing designated Important Bird Areas to be considered in decisions about managing public lands and waters.

The Audubon Society, which has about 22,000 members in Washington state, is heading up the effort. It has identified 53 sites so far, and 50 others are being researched.

New York is the only other state in the country with an Important Bird Area program, the report said.

The Audubon Society has about 450,000 members nationwide.