BirdAnalyst
Bird Conservation Region 20

Edwards Plateau

An ecological region spanning Texas, with 20 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 →

Cliff Swallow has collapsed in Edwards Plateau: down 90% on the route-weighted index since 1971.

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 →

Barn Swallow has surged in Edwards Plateau: up 71× on the route-weighted index since 1971.

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 →

Eastern Meadowlark has collapsed in Edwards Plateau: down 89% on the route-weighted index since 1969.

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 →

White-winged Dove has surged in Edwards Plateau: up 27× on the route-weighted index since 1978.

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 →

Northern Bobwhite has collapsed in Edwards Plateau: down 89% on the route-weighted index since 1969.

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 →

White-eyed Vireo has surged in Edwards Plateau: up 23× 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 →

-88%

Game birds

2 species
-81%

Shorebirds

1 species
-76%

Generalists

16 species
-57%

Grassland birds

8 species
-47%

Birds of prey

12 species
-40%

Aerial insectivores

20 species
-34%

Arid-land birds

7 species
-17%

Forest birds

42 species
-15%

Waterfowl

1 species
+52%

Wetland birds

7 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

Cooper's Hawk -9%Harris's Hawk -59%Red-shouldered Hawk +196%Red-tailed Hawk +8%Swainson's Hawk -28%Zone-tailed Hawk -39%

Bushtits Aegithalidae

Bushtit -6%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -49%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -82%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck -15%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -74%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

Great Blue Heron -40%Great Egret +4%Green Heron -6%Western Cattle-Egret +27%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Chuck-will's-widow -42%Common Nighthawk -40%Common Poorwill -46%Lesser Nighthawk -2%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Blue Grosbeak +657%Dickcissel +7%Indigo Bunting +161%Northern Cardinal +40%Painted Bunting -5%Pyrrhuloxia -35%Summer Tanager +279%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Black Vulture +283%Turkey Vulture +7%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer -81%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Common Ground Dove +379%Eurasian Collared-Dove 13×Inca Dove -73%Mourning Dove -40%Rock Pigeon -36%White-winged Dove 27×

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +150%Blue Jay +260%Chihuahuan Raven -59%Common Raven 14×Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay +92%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Greater Roadrunner -51%Yellow-billed Cuckoo -55%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

Crested Caracara 13×

Finches Fringillidae

House Finch -13%Lesser Goldfinch +10%

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Barn Swallow 71×Cave Swallow +247%Cliff Swallow -90%Northern Rough-winged Swallow -9%Purple Martin +391%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Bronzed Cowbird +7%Brown-headed Cowbird -47%Bullock's Oriole -76%Common Grackle +198%Eastern Meadowlark -89%Great-tailed Grackle +607%Hooded Oriole +31%Orchard Oriole -87%Red-winged Blackbird +55%Scott's Oriole +277%Western Meadowlark +132%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat 17×

Shrikes Laniidae

Loggerhead Shrike -41%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Curve-billed Thrasher +33%Long-billed Thrasher +31%Northern Mockingbird -76%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite -89%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-crested Titmouse +6%Carolina Chickadee +83%Tufted Titmouse -78%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

Black-and-white Warbler 13×Golden-cheeked Warbler +295%Yellow-throated Warbler +257%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Black-throated Sparrow +4%Canyon Towhee +56%Cassin's Sparrow -11%Chipping Sparrow -26%Field Sparrow +20%Grasshopper Sparrow +7%Lark Sparrow -64%Olive Sparrow +141%Rufous-crowned Sparrow -0%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -84%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Wild Turkey +32%

Woodpeckers Picidae

Downy Woodpecker +40%Golden-fronted Woodpecker +225%Ladder-backed Woodpecker +7%Red-bellied Woodpecker +15%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 15×

Penduline Tits Remizidae

Verdin -53%

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl -50%Eastern Screech-Owl -65%Great Horned Owl -75%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling +655%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Black-chinned Hummingbird +11%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Bewick's Wren +31%Cactus Wren -63%Canyon Wren -30%Carolina Wren +183%Rock Wren -7%

Thrushes Turdidae

Eastern Bluebird +317%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Acadian Flycatcher -32%Ash-throated Flycatcher +730%Brown-crested Flycatcher +121%Eastern Kingbird -79%Eastern Phoebe -39%Eastern Wood-Pewee +5%Great Crested Flycatcher -27%Scissor-tailed Flycatcher -62%Vermilion Flycatcher +153%Western Kingbird +326%

Vireos Vireonidae

Bell's Vireo +236%Black-capped Vireo +675%Red-eyed Vireo -47%White-eyed Vireo 23×Yellow-throated Vireo +978%

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