BirdAnalyst
Bird Conservation Region 37

Gulf Coastal Prairie

An ecological region spanning Louisiana, Texas, with 48 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 →

Horned Lark has collapsed in Gulf Coastal Prairie: down 97% 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 →

Cliff Swallow has surged in Gulf Coastal Prairie: up 42× on the route-weighted index since 1980.

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 Parula has collapsed in Gulf Coastal Prairie: down 96% 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 →

Barn Swallow has surged in Gulf Coastal Prairie: up 37× 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 →

Wood Stork has collapsed in Gulf Coastal Prairie: down 92% 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 →

Crested Caracara has surged in Gulf Coastal Prairie: up 35× on the route-weighted index since 1981.

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 →

-82%

Game birds

3 species
-65%

Grassland birds

8 species
-46%

Wetland birds

45 species
-45%

Arid-land birds

4 species
-40%

Generalists

15 species
-30%

Aerial insectivores

21 species
-19%

Shorebirds

7 species
-3%

Forest birds

49 species
+47%

Waterfowl

8 species
+156%

Birds of prey

16 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

Broad-winged Hawk +68%Cooper's Hawk +14%Harris's Hawk -31%Mississippi Kite +526%Red-shouldered Hawk +20%Red-tailed Hawk +130%Swainson's Hawk +8%White-tailed Hawk +155%White-tailed Kite -36%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -97%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -80%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 19×Blue-winged Teal -89%Canada Goose -58%Fulvous Whistling-Duck +137%Mallard +236%Mottled Duck -81%Ruddy Duck -76%Wood Duck +93%

Anhingas Anhingidae

Anhinga -68%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -44%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

American Bittern -52%Black-crowned Night Heron +140%Great Blue Heron +59%Great Egret +125%Green Heron -23%Least Bittern +276%Little Blue Heron +5%Reddish Egret -56%Snowy Egret +312%Tricolored Heron +43%Western Cattle-Egret -39%Yellow-crowned Night Heron +313%unid Black-crowned / Yellow-crowned Night Heron +51%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Common Nighthawk -64%Common Pauraque -1%Lesser Nighthawk -48%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Blue Grosbeak +599%Dickcissel -18%Indigo Bunting -37%Northern Cardinal +61%Painted Bunting +2%Pyrrhuloxia +35%Summer Tanager +24%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Black Vulture +464%Turkey Vulture +339%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer -15%Wilson's Plover +13%

Storks Ciconiidae

Wood Stork -92%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Common Ground Dove +79%Eurasian Collared-Dove 11×Inca Dove +181%Mourning Dove +220%Rock Pigeon -61%White-tipped Dove +205%White-winged Dove -42%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow -7%Blue Jay +29%Fish Crow +107%Green Jay +131%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Greater Roadrunner +377%Groove-billed Ani -46%Yellow-billed Cuckoo -21%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

Crested Caracara 35×

Finches Fringillidae

Lesser Goldfinch +233%

Oystercatchers Haematopodidae

American Oystercatcher -55%

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Barn Swallow 37×Cave Swallow +43%Cliff Swallow 42×Northern Rough-winged Swallow -64%Purple Martin +53%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole -39%Boat-tailed Grackle +22%Bronzed Cowbird +131%Brown-headed Cowbird +4%Bullock's Oriole +81%Common Grackle -30%Eastern Meadowlark -69%Great-tailed Grackle -49%Hooded Oriole +186%Orchard Oriole -58%Red-winged Blackbird -41%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat +107%

Shrikes Laniidae

Loggerhead Shrike -55%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Black Skimmer -78%Caspian Tern +3%Common Tern +24%Forster's Tern +136%Gull-billed Tern +75%Laughing Gull +926%Least Tern +14%Ring-billed Gull -77%Royal Tern +141%Sandwich Tern +469%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher +37%Curve-billed Thrasher -76%Gray Catbird -39%Long-billed Thrasher 12×Northern Mockingbird +0%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite -65%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey +18%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-crested Titmouse +100%Carolina Chickadee +186%Tufted Titmouse -42%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

Common Yellowthroat +200%Hooded Warbler -52%Northern Parula -96%Pine Warbler +97%Prothonotary Warbler -87%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Botteri's Sparrow -58%Cassin's Sparrow -67%Eastern Towhee -69%Field Sparrow -47%Grasshopper Sparrow +117%Lark Sparrow -76%Olive Sparrow 11×Seaside Sparrow +80%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -90%

Pelicans Pelecanidae

American White Pelican -43%Brown Pelican 26×

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant +101%Neotropic Cormorant +142%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Ring-necked Pheasant -23%Wild Turkey -44%

Woodpeckers Picidae

Downy Woodpecker +170%Golden-fronted Woodpecker +550%Hairy Woodpecker -57%Ladder-backed Woodpecker +610%Pileated Woodpecker -60%Red-bellied Woodpecker +42%Red-headed Woodpecker -86%

Grebes Podicipedidae

Least Grebe +247%Pied-billed Grebe +554%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher -84%

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

American Coot -87%Black Rail +71%Clapper Rail -68%Common Gallinule 11×King Rail -60%Purple Gallinule +19%

Avocets & Stilts Recurvirostridae

American Avocet -83%Black-necked Stilt +296%

Penduline Tits Remizidae

Verdin -53%

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

Long-billed Curlew +12%Willet -64%

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl -69%Great Horned Owl +132%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling +98%

Ibises & Spoonbills Threskiornithidae

Roseate Spoonbill +148%White Ibis 24×White-faced Ibis -13%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Buff-bellied Hummingbird -36%Ruby-throated Hummingbird -77%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Bewick's Wren +226%Cactus Wren -50%Carolina Wren +4%Marsh Wren -54%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin +74%Eastern Bluebird +293%Wood Thrush -73%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Acadian Flycatcher -23%Ash-throated Flycatcher -30%Brown-crested Flycatcher 17×Couch's Kingbird 18×Eastern Kingbird -75%Eastern Phoebe -74%Eastern Wood-Pewee -62%Great Crested Flycatcher -35%Great Kiskadee +442%Scissor-tailed Flycatcher -64%Vermilion Flycatcher -19%Western Kingbird +45%

Barn-Owls Tytonidae

American Barn Owl -41%

Vireos Vireonidae

Red-eyed Vireo -64%White-eyed Vireo +78%Yellow-throated Vireo -3%

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