BirdAnalyst
Bird Conservation Region 35

Chihuahuan Desert

An ecological region spanning New-mexico, Texas, with 56 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 →

Band-tailed Pigeon has collapsed in Chihuahuan Desert: down 96% 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 →

Gambel's Quail has surged in Chihuahuan Desert: up 22× 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 →

White-throated Swift has collapsed in Chihuahuan Desert: down 94% on the route-weighted index since 1970.

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 →

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 →

White-winged Dove has surged in Chihuahuan Desert: up 16× on the route-weighted index since 1969.

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 →

-73%

Birds of prey

16 species
-64%

Game birds

6 species
-62%

Grassland birds

10 species
-60%

Arid-land birds

13 species
-42%

Generalists

16 species
-36%

Waterfowl

2 species
-35%

Forest birds

57 species
-20%

Shorebirds

3 species
-19%

Aerial insectivores

20 species
+621%

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 -36%Golden Eagle -60%Harris's Hawk -88%Northern Harrier -76%Red-tailed Hawk +19%Swainson's Hawk +18%Zone-tailed Hawk -55%

Bushtits Aegithalidae

Bushtit +3%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -70%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

Mallard -60%Mexican Duck +43%

Swifts Apodidae

White-throated Swift -94%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

Black-crowned Night Heron -7%Great Blue Heron +56%Great Egret +75%Green Heron -60%Snowy Egret +99%Western Cattle-Egret -93%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Common Nighthawk -50%Common Poorwill -13%Lesser Nighthawk +11%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Black-headed Grosbeak +123%Blue Grosbeak +239%Dickcissel -89%Hepatic Tanager -78%Indigo Bunting -66%Northern Cardinal +335%Painted Bunting +74%Pyrrhuloxia -35%Summer Tanager +186%Varied Bunting -76%Western Tanager 15×

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Black Vulture +116%Turkey Vulture -32%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer +61%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Band-tailed Pigeon -96%Common Ground Dove +101%Eurasian Collared-Dove 18×Inca Dove -36%Mourning Dove +45%Rock Pigeon +100%White-winged Dove 16×

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +45%Chihuahuan Raven +121%Common Raven +248%Pinyon Jay -81%Steller's Jay +28%Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay -71%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Greater Roadrunner -27%Yellow-billed Cuckoo -86%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -15%Crested Caracara +174%Prairie Falcon -74%

Finches Fringillidae

House Finch -32%Lesser Goldfinch -75%Red Crossbill -91%

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Barn Swallow +68%Cave Swallow +70%Cliff Swallow +77%Northern Rough-winged Swallow -68%Purple Martin -11%Violet-green Swallow +31%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Brewer's Blackbird -61%Bronzed Cowbird -52%Brown-headed Cowbird -66%Bullock's Oriole +429%Chihuahuan Meadowlark -30%Great-tailed Grackle 14×Hooded Oriole -26%Orchard Oriole -2%Red-winged Blackbird 13×Scott's Oriole -2%Western Meadowlark -78%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat +706%

Shrikes Laniidae

Loggerhead Shrike -52%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Bendire's Thrasher -72%Crissal Thrasher +122%Curve-billed Thrasher -15%Northern Mockingbird -57%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Gambel's Quail 22×Montezuma Quail -27%Northern Bobwhite +240%Scaled Quail -57%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-crested Titmouse +81%Juniper Titmouse -15%Mountain Chickadee -33%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

Common Yellowthroat +213%Grace's Warbler +108%Lucy's Warbler +305%Virginia's Warbler -82%Yellow Warbler 13×

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Black-chinned Sparrow -21%Black-throated Sparrow -43%Canyon Towhee -65%Cassin's Sparrow -56%Chipping Sparrow -58%Grasshopper Sparrow -37%Green-tailed Towhee -60%Lark Bunting -78%Lark Sparrow -26%Rufous-crowned Sparrow +43%Spotted Towhee +125%Vesper Sparrow -93%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow +32%

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant +106%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Ring-necked Pheasant -68%Wild Turkey -9%

Woodpeckers Picidae

Acorn Woodpecker -25%Golden-fronted Woodpecker -1%Hairy Woodpecker -4%Ladder-backed Woodpecker -37%

Grebes Podicipedidae

Pied-billed Grebe -21%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher -60%Blue-gray Gnatcatcher -41%

Silky-flycatchers Ptiliogonatidae

Phainopepla +115%

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

American Coot -83%

Avocets & Stilts Recurvirostridae

American Avocet +79%Black-necked Stilt +24%

Penduline Tits Remizidae

Verdin -64%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Pygmy Nuthatch -72%Red-breasted Nuthatch -72%White-breasted Nuthatch +179%

Owls Strigidae

Burrowing Owl +41%Elf Owl -26%Great Horned Owl -55%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling -20%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Black-chinned Hummingbird +26%Broad-tailed Hummingbird +119%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Bewick's Wren +26%Cactus Wren -46%Canyon Wren +1%Northern House Wren +113%Rock Wren -39%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin -29%Hermit Thrush -57%Mountain Bluebird -91%Western Bluebird -80%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Ash-throated Flycatcher +47%Black Phoebe -27%Brown-crested Flycatcher +64%Cassin's Kingbird -54%Gray Flycatcher -60%Say's Phoebe +7%Scissor-tailed Flycatcher -20%Vermilion Flycatcher +371%Western Kingbird +607%Western Wood-Pewee +110%

Barn-Owls Tytonidae

American Barn Owl -2%

Vireos Vireonidae

Bell's Vireo +210%Black-capped Vireo -34%Gray Vireo +148%Plumbeous Vireo +120%Warbling Vireo +78%White-eyed Vireo +86%

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