Vermont a small state with a large responsibility

The Nature Conservancy: Vermont Chapter

Breeding bird surveys have shown that the forests of Vermont and Northern New England are a globally important resource for birds throughout the hemisphere. If you look closely at our Green Mountains each spring and summer you will see the bright reds, yellows, and blues of the tropics in the birds that return to breed in our forests. The presence of these neo-tropical migratory birds are evidence of the fact that our forests are home to the highest concentration of bird species breeding in the continental United States. Or as simply stated in the Partners In Flight Land Bird Conservation Plan, our forests are a "veritable breeding factory" for these neo-tropical migratory birds.

S. Maslowski, USFWS

Forest Bird Initiative: Keeping Common Birds Common

The Atlantic Northern Forest of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and New York provide breeding habitat to dozens of bird species like the Black-throated Blue Warbler, Canada Warbler, Wood Thrush and the Bicknell's Thrush. These species and dozens more have in some cases 90% of their global population breeding in this region. Many of these birds are seeing long-term declines that, like the proverbial "canary in the coal mine," may be indicating larger ecosystem problems. 

The North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) defines birds like these as responsibility birds. A responsibility bird has a high proportion of its global population breeding in the region, and therefore species conservation efforts should be focused in this area. The concept is simple. Rather than wait for a bird species to become vulnerable and end up on a threatened or endangered species list, we can and should take action to conserve birds in the core of their population range.   The advantage to this approach is that low-cost stewardship activities, education and monitoring can help maintain or increase the populations of these birds. 

Audubon Vermont's Forest Bird Initiative is integrating science, education and public policy to conserve forests within Vermont that are important to birds, by identifying, monitoring and stewarding a network of forest Important Bird Areas (IBA) that support a significant number of breeding forest birds to maintain viable populations of responsibility bird species.

Vermont's Forests don't end at our border and the birds they support migrate thousands of miles each year. Consequently our Forest Bird Initiative is working with the National Audubon Society's science and policy programs and our local chapters. In addition, we are creating partnerships with Maine Audubon, New Hampshire Audubon and Audubon New York to develop regional conservation strategies that will benefit our neo-tropical migratory birds.

Trend: Abundant, but declining over much of breeding range. According to the Common Birds in Decline report Vermont population has declined by 74% possibly from a loss of young shrubby vegetation as a result of a maturing forest and in some cases over-browsing by deer.

Habitat: Breeds in coniferous and mixed forests with numerous openings and low, dense vegetation.

Winters: Across the midwestern and eastern United States.

ID Tips: White throat with yellow in front of eyes, white & black stripes on head, gray chest.

Song: A slow series of usually five clear whistles that changes pitch once, on either the second or third note. Described as "Oh Sweet Canada Canada Canada" or “Oh Sam Peabody Peabody.”

Nesting: Female builds nest on or near ground from dead leaves, grapevine bark then lined with rootlets.

Management: Soften edges between habitats creating brushy growth especially near conifer stands for cover, foraging & nesting; create brushpiles on habitat edges.

Cool Fact: The White-throated Sparrow comes in two color forms: white-crowned and tan-crowned. Tan-crowned birds have dull whitish or light tan head stripes, and more brownish chests that usually contain some streaking.