Songbird Protection Coalition

Bald eagles aren’t the only ones hurt by the excess lead. Veterinarian Dr. Rebecca Vincent-Sturdivant told WLNS sister station WOOD TV8 in 2023 that most wild birds deal with it, including loons, turkey vultures, and even mourning doves.

Bald eagle with severe lead poisoning euthanized A Michigan nonprofit is echoing the call for lead-free ammunition after recently taking in another poisoned bald eagle.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources released this image and is asking for help from the public. The birds were found in the UP's Garden Peninsula. Any tips can be reported to the RAP hotline -- (800) 892-7800, or online https://www2.dnr.state.mi.us/ors/Survey/33?csrt=1329161794049696267.

2026 Michigan: USFW Service photo of the whooping crane landing among sandhill cranes in Michigan, Jim Hudgins/USFWS, Public Domain

https://www.fws.gov/rivers/carp/carp/media/whooping-crane-landing-among-sandhill-cranes-michigan

Great News for Endangered Species

🚨BREAKING🚨
The House just cancelled its ill-advised plan to celebrate by voting on the ESA Amendments Act (H.R. 1897)—a disastrous bill designed to gut the Endangered Species Act.

For over 53 years, the has been a critical lifeline for iconic species worldwide—like wolves, grizzlies, and elephants—saving them from extinction. If H.R. 1897 were to pass, it would severely undermine the ESA in a time when animals need more protections, not less.

Thanks to your actions, today’s vote was canceled, but we must keep up the pressure! Tell your Representatives to safeguard the ESA by standing firm in opposing the ESA Amendments Act ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/NOonHR1897

The Only Parrot Native to the U.S. Once Filled Our Skies. Then, in 1918, It Was Gone Forever. 💚💛🧡

Picture this: You're walking through a swamp in Georgia or a river valley in Kentucky. The air is thick with the sound of dozens—sometimes hundreds—of bright green parrots with orange cheeks and sunny yellow heads. They're loud. They're social. They're impossible to miss.

That wasn't a tropical dream. That was the American South.

Meet the Carolina parakeet—the only parrot species native to the eastern United States.

And here's the heartbreaking part: within a single human lifetime, it went from common to completely extinct.

Let's go back.

For centuries, these stunning birds thrived in forests, swamps, and river valleys from Florida to New York. They traveled in noisy flocks, feasting on seeds, fruits, and nuts. They nested in hollow trees and helped shape the ecosystems they called home.

They were so abundant that early naturalists described them as "countless."

So… what happened?

A perfect storm of destruction:

🌾 Farmers saw them as pests. When flocks raided orchards or grain crops, the birds were shot on sight.
🎩 Fashion killed them. Their colorful feathers were prized for ladies' hats and decorations.
🐾 Invasive species and hunting for the pet trade took even more.
🏡 Habitat destruction wiped out the forests and swamps they depended on.

By the early 1900s, wild Carolina parakeets were nearly impossible to find. The last known individual—a male named Incas—died in captivity on February 21, 1918, at the Cincinnati Zoo.

With Incas, an entire genus vanished from the Earth.

No wild flocks. No nesting pairs. No bright green flashes against a southern sky. Just museum specimens, old paintings, and the quiet echo of what was lost.

💔 Why does this matter today?

Because the Carolina parakeet's extinction wasn't ancient history. It happened just over a hundred years ago—within the lifetime of a single person. And it's a brutal reminder that abundance does not guarantee survival. A species can go from "everywhere" to "gone" in decades if we're not paying attention.

Scientists today study preserved Carolina parakeet specimens to understand their genetics, behavior, and ecology—hoping to protect other threatened birds before it's too late.

🦜 Strange but true fact to leave you with:

Unlike most parrots, Carolina parakeets were known to sleep in massive communal roosts during winter—sometimes hundreds of birds crammed into the same tree. That cozy habit may have made them incredibly easy targets for hunters.

One tree. One flock. One shot. Gone.

So the next time you see a flash of green outside your window… take a moment. Remember the parrot that once called America home. And ask yourself: what are we doing to make sure our birds stay in our skies?

The Bird Feeder You Didn't Clean
A House Finch with swollen, crusted eyes perches blindly on a seed-caked feeder in the freezing March wind, desperately pecking at empty plastic.

We assume providing seed is a harmless act of kindness that consistently supports local wildlife.

In reality, native House Finches (Haemorhous mexicanus, Status: Secure) and wintering Pine Siskins (Spinus pinus, Status: Irruptive) are congregating heavily at artificial food sources right now in March as natural winter seed stocks deplete. An unwashed feeder is a deadly vector. Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis (House Finch eye disease) and Salmonella thrive on these shared, dirty surfaces. The infection causes severe eye crusting, leading to permanent blindness and starvation. During recent outbreaks, salmonella killed over 100,000 Pine Siskins in a single season. Every infected bird that visits leaves bacteria behind for the entire flock.

These seed-eating songbirds are vital, interconnected components of the woodland food web, managing w**d populations and sustaining native raptors like Cooper's Hawks. A disease outbreak destabilises this local balance.

You must intervene. Scrub your feeders every two weeks with a 10% bleach solution, rinsing and drying them thoroughly, or remove them entirely.

The sick bird you saw yesterday infected every bird today. You are either safely feeding them or actively killing them.

Why birds were the only dinosaurs to survive mass extinction Scientists finally understand why birds were the only dinosaurs to pull through the end-Cretaceous mass extinction

Baby bird season is officially a GO! We’ve admitted our first babies of the year: these two young Mourning Doves. Compared to years prior, these doves are much older than the hatchlings we usually see this time of year. After the nest was attacked by a predator, the parents were nowhere to be found, and the babies were left injured. Thanks to prompt dressing of the wounds, they are healing up great and will hopefully be learning to eat on their own soon!

As early spring nesters, Mourning Doves are almost always our first baby patients of the year, soon followed by House Finches and Mallard ducklings in mid-April. As we care for these two, we are also preparing the rest of our nursery for more babies to come!

🔗 https://l.mlive.com/hi78u9
A whooping crane, one of the most threatened birds in North America, was spotted at Arcadia Marsh in northern Manistee County, the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, which manages the preserve, announced.