Something is missing from much of North America’s skies. A lot of birds have disappeared.
Since 1970, the United States and Canada have lost an estimated 3 billion birds — nearly one in three birds across the continent. Grassland birds have been hit especially hard, and scientists warn that even some familiar backyard and wetland species are declining.
That sobering backdrop frames naturalist Scott Weidensaul’s new book, “The Return of the Oystercatcher: Saving Birds to Save the Planet.” But unlike many accounts of the biodiversity crisis, Weidensaul’s book is not only about what is disappearing. It is about what can still come back.
Weidensaul is the Pulitzer Prize-nominated author of “Living on the Wind.” He uses the American oystercatcher as a starting point for a broader tour of bird recovery stories.
Each chapter looks at a species or family of birds that has benefited from conservation work — from restored wetlands in the prairie pothole region to seabird protections in Hawaii, puffin and tern colonies in Maine, vulture recovery in Europe and Indigenous-led conservation in Canada’s boreal forest.
The root of the threat to birds is clear: habitat loss, climate change, pesticides, invasive species and weakened environmental protections. But conservation successes show how quickly nature can respond and recover when habitats are protected and pressures on bird populations are removed.
The bald eagle is one of the clearest examples. It was once pushed to the brink by overuse of DDT, persecution and habitat loss. Today it has become one of the country’s most visible conservation recoveries.
Saving the birds will require new laws, scientific research, land protection, restoration work and long-term commitment.
Guest:
Scott Weidensaul is the author of nearly thirty books, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist “Living on the Wind” and the New York Times bestseller “A World on the Wing.” He is a writer and researcher specializing in birds and bird migration.
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This interview will be recorded live Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at 12:00 p.m.
