BirdAnalyst
Bird Conservation Region 35

Chihuahuan Desert

An ecological region spanning New-mexico, Texas, with 57 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 →

Mountain Bluebird has collapsed in Chihuahuan Desert: down 94% on the route-weighted index since 1974.

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 →

Gambel's Quail has surged in Chihuahuan Desert: up 19× on the route-weighted index since 1970.

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 →

Western Cattle-Egret has collapsed in Chihuahuan Desert: down 93% on the route-weighted index since 1994.

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 →

Eurasian Collared-Dove has surged in Chihuahuan Desert: up 18× on the route-weighted index since 2003.

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 →

Vesper Sparrow has collapsed in Chihuahuan Desert: down 93% on the route-weighted index since 1980.

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 →

Great-tailed Grackle has surged in Chihuahuan Desert: up 15× 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 →

-77%

Birds of prey

16 species
-61%

Game birds

6 species
-59%

Grassland birds

10 species
-57%

Waterfowl

2 species
-55%

Arid-land birds

13 species
-44%

Generalists

16 species
-32%

Forest birds

58 species
-24%

Shorebirds

3 species
-21%

Aerial insectivores

20 species
+792%

Wetland birds

11 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 -19%Golden Eagle -60%Harris's Hawk -85%Northern Harrier -80%Red-tailed Hawk +13%Swainson's Hawk +17%Zone-tailed Hawk -34%

Bushtits Aegithalidae

Bushtit +19%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -70%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

Mallard -77%Mexican Duck +4%

Swifts Apodidae

White-throated Swift -91%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

Black-crowned Night Heron -13%Great Blue Heron -10%Great Egret +75%Green Heron -60%Snowy Egret +99%Western Cattle-Egret -93%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Common Nighthawk -43%Common Poorwill -1%Lesser Nighthawk -2%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Black-headed Grosbeak +114%Blue Grosbeak +265%Dickcissel -89%Hepatic Tanager -83%Indigo Bunting -66%Northern Cardinal +434%Painted Bunting +80%Pyrrhuloxia -25%Summer Tanager +189%Varied Bunting -71%Western Tanager 14×

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Black Vulture +181%Turkey Vulture -45%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer +54%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Band-tailed Pigeon -93%Common Ground Dove +103%Eurasian Collared-Dove 18×Inca Dove -36%Mourning Dove +25%Rock Pigeon +25%White-winged Dove 14×

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +37%Chihuahuan Raven +57%Common Raven +277%Pinyon Jay -84%Steller's Jay +27%Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay -67%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Greater Roadrunner -13%Yellow-billed Cuckoo -81%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -17%Crested Caracara +322%Prairie Falcon -74%

Finches Fringillidae

House Finch -29%Lesser Goldfinch -71%Red Crossbill -91%

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Barn Swallow +64%Cave Swallow -3%Cliff Swallow +63%Northern Rough-winged Swallow -64%Purple Martin -37%Violet-green Swallow +211%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Brewer's Blackbird -43%Bronzed Cowbird -47%Brown-headed Cowbird -71%Bullock's Oriole +432%Chihuahuan Meadowlark -40%Great-tailed Grackle 15×Hooded Oriole -5%Orchard Oriole -1%Red-winged Blackbird 13×Scott's Oriole +2%Western Meadowlark -84%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat +746%

Shrikes Laniidae

Loggerhead Shrike -56%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Bendire's Thrasher -50%Crissal Thrasher +107%Curve-billed Thrasher +11%Northern Mockingbird -54%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Gambel's Quail 19×Montezuma Quail -27%Northern Bobwhite +291%Scaled Quail -44%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-crested Titmouse +120%Juniper Titmouse -16%Mountain Chickadee -43%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

Black-throated Gray Warbler -4%Common Yellowthroat +298%Grace's Warbler +119%Lucy's Warbler +249%Virginia's Warbler -83%Yellow Warbler 12×

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Black-chinned Sparrow -18%Black-throated Sparrow -35%Canyon Towhee -52%Cassin's Sparrow -56%Chipping Sparrow -48%Grasshopper Sparrow -37%Green-tailed Towhee -60%Lark Bunting -78%Lark Sparrow -19%Rufous-crowned Sparrow +66%Spotted Towhee +164%Vesper Sparrow -93%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow +57%

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant +106%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Ring-necked Pheasant -71%Wild Turkey -34%

Woodpeckers Picidae

Acorn Woodpecker -28%Golden-fronted Woodpecker +38%Hairy Woodpecker -47%Ladder-backed Woodpecker -12%

Grebes Podicipedidae

Pied-billed Grebe -21%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher -58%Blue-gray Gnatcatcher -29%

Silky-flycatchers Ptiliogonatidae

Phainopepla +39%

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

American Coot -83%

Avocets & Stilts Recurvirostridae

American Avocet +74%Black-necked Stilt +91%

Penduline Tits Remizidae

Verdin -58%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Pygmy Nuthatch -72%Red-breasted Nuthatch -84%White-breasted Nuthatch +102%

Owls Strigidae

Burrowing Owl +56%Elf Owl -27%Great Horned Owl -33%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling -47%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Black-chinned Hummingbird +22%Broad-tailed Hummingbird +131%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Bewick's Wren +87%Cactus Wren -44%Canyon Wren +38%Northern House Wren +70%Rock Wren -33%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin -45%Hermit Thrush -59%Mountain Bluebird -94%Western Bluebird -80%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Ash-throated Flycatcher +48%Black Phoebe -50%Brown-crested Flycatcher +100%Cassin's Kingbird -56%Gray Flycatcher -68%Say's Phoebe +6%Scissor-tailed Flycatcher -29%Vermilion Flycatcher +337%Western Kingbird +658%Western Wood-Pewee +73%

Barn-Owls Tytonidae

American Barn Owl -2%

Vireos Vireonidae

Bell's Vireo +206%Black-capped Vireo -27%Gray Vireo +123%Plumbeous Vireo +110%Warbling Vireo +76%White-eyed Vireo +86%

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-08-14.