BirdAnalyst
Bird Conservation Region 12

Boreal Hardwood Transition

An ecological region spanning Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, with 127 survey routes. BCRs are the natural unit for bird trends.

What Is Moving HereNotable signalsLong-arc shifts the engine flags automatically — sustained declines or increases large enough to stand out from year-to-year noise.Full methodology →

long arc declinecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Purple Martin has collapsed in Boreal Hardwood Transition: down 98% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

long arc increasecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Canada Goose has surged in Boreal Hardwood Transition: up 58× on the route-weighted index since 1973.

long arc declinecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Herring Gull has collapsed in Boreal Hardwood Transition: down 96% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

long arc increasecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Sandhill Crane has surged in Boreal Hardwood Transition: up 43× on the route-weighted index since 1969.

long arc declinecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Cliff Swallow has collapsed in Boreal Hardwood Transition: down 93% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

long arc increasecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Wild Turkey has surged in Boreal Hardwood Transition: up 22× on the route-weighted index since 1970.

How Guilds Are FaringGuild trendA mean-index aggregate across the species in this group — the structural direction of the guild, with individual-species noise smoothed out.Full methodology →

-60%

Grassland birds

14 species
-59%

Aerial insectivores

18 species
-58%

Wetland birds

24 species
-46%

Generalists

12 species
-44%

Shorebirds

5 species
+2%

Birds of prey

16 species
+14%

Forest birds

81 species
+90%

Game birds

5 species
+583%

Waterfowl

15 species

Survey Routes

Species By FamilyTrendPercent change in the route-weighted abundance index between a smoothed baseline window and the most recent one. It tracks direction, not absolute population.Full methodology →

Hawks, Eagles & Kites Accipitridae

American Goshawk -44%Bald Eagle +765%Broad-winged Hawk +73%Cooper's Hawk -7%Northern Harrier -42%Red-shouldered Hawk -5%Red-tailed Hawk +25%Sharp-shinned Hawk -41%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -66%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -17%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

American Black Duck -90%American Wigeon -48%Blue-winged Teal -93%Canada Goose 58×Common Goldeneye +92%Common Merganser +113%Green-winged Teal -4%Hooded Merganser +35%Mallard +101%Mute Swan +9%Northern Pintail -41%Red-breasted Merganser -87%Ring-necked Duck +200%Trumpeter Swan 12×Wood Duck +151%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -79%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

American Bittern -5%Great Blue Heron -60%Green Heron -4%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing -4%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Common Nighthawk -61%Eastern Whip-poor-will +24%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Dickcissel -19%Indigo Bunting +15%Northern Cardinal 11×Rose-breasted Grosbeak +1%Scarlet Tanager -34%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Turkey Vulture +500%

Treecreepers Certhiidae

Brown Creeper +418%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer -62%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Mourning Dove +199%Rock Pigeon +232%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow -9%Black-billed Magpie +914%Blue Jay +25%Canada Jay -10%Common Raven +96%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Black-billed Cuckoo -21%Yellow-billed Cuckoo -16%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -45%Merlin +460%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch -40%Evening Grosbeak -75%House Finch -42%Pine Siskin -55%Purple Finch -30%Red Crossbill +90%White-winged Crossbill +158%

Loons Gaviidae

Common Loon -1%

Cranes Gruidae

Sandhill Crane 43×

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow -92%Barn Swallow -75%Cliff Swallow -93%Northern Rough-winged Swallow -53%Purple Martin -98%Tree Swallow -71%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole -62%Bobolink -48%Brewer's Blackbird -78%Brown-headed Cowbird -77%Common Grackle -19%Eastern Meadowlark -87%Red-winged Blackbird -44%Western Meadowlark -64%Yellow-headed Blackbird -80%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Black Tern -85%Caspian Tern -90%Common Tern -89%Forster's Tern -37%Franklin's Gull -81%Herring Gull -96%Ring-billed Gull -47%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher -65%Gray Catbird -13%Northern Mockingbird -21%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite -39%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey +14%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee +113%Boreal Chickadee -72%Tufted Titmouse +158%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart +235%Bay-breasted Warbler -14%Black-and-white Warbler +351%Black-throated Blue Warbler +944%Black-throated Green Warbler +110%Blackburnian Warbler +201%Blue-winged Warbler -18%Canada Warbler +94%Cape May Warbler 14×Cerulean Warbler -34%Chestnut-sided Warbler +74%Common Yellowthroat +35%Connecticut Warbler -25%Golden-winged Warbler +130%Kirtland's Warbler +169%Magnolia Warbler +603%Mourning Warbler +48%Nashville Warbler +187%Northern Parula +347%Northern Waterthrush +34%Ovenbird +67%Palm Warbler +123%Pine Warbler 13×Tennessee Warbler +163%Wilson's Warbler -20%Yellow Warbler -4%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Chipping Sparrow +0%Clay-colored Sparrow -33%Eastern Towhee -51%Field Sparrow -64%Grasshopper Sparrow -56%Henslow's Sparrow -39%Lark Sparrow +62%LeConte's Sparrow -25%Lincoln's Sparrow +468%Nelson's Sparrow +25%Savannah Sparrow -66%Song Sparrow -43%Swamp Sparrow +364%Vesper Sparrow -79%White-throated Sparrow +60%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -77%

Pelicans Pelecanidae

American White Pelican -42%

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant -78%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Ring-necked Pheasant -69%Ruffed Grouse +165%Sharp-tailed Grouse +999%Wild Turkey 22×

Woodpeckers Picidae

Black-backed Woodpecker -28%Downy Woodpecker +6%Hairy Woodpecker +223%Pileated Woodpecker 14×Red-bellied Woodpecker 40×Red-headed Woodpecker -52%Yellow-bellied Sapsucker +339%

Grebes Podicipedidae

Pied-billed Grebe -82%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher +102%

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

American Coot +34%Sora -72%Virginia Rail -45%Yellow Rail -1%

Kinglets Regulidae

Golden-crowned Kinglet +633%Ruby-crowned Kinglet -6%

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

American Woodcock -89%Marbled Godwit +108%Spotted Sandpiper -88%Upland Sandpiper -72%Wilson's Snipe +69%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Red-breasted Nuthatch 14×White-breasted Nuthatch +101%

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl +118%Great Gray Owl -37%Great Horned Owl -59%Short-eared Owl -20%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling -68%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Ruby-throated Hummingbird +306%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Marsh Wren +206%Northern House Wren -11%Sedge Wren -1%Winter Wren +252%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin -2%Eastern Bluebird -46%Hermit Thrush +56%Swainson's Thrush +190%Veery +8%Wood Thrush +37%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Alder Flycatcher +125%Eastern Kingbird -68%Eastern Phoebe -0%Eastern Wood-Pewee +7%Great Crested Flycatcher -62%Least Flycatcher -20%Olive-sided Flycatcher -39%Willow Flycatcher -68%Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 13×

Vireos Vireonidae

Blue-headed Vireo 12×Philadelphia Vireo -56%Red-eyed Vireo +137%Warbling Vireo -74%Yellow-throated Vireo +126%

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22.