BirdAnalyst
Species · BCR 16 · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

American Bittern In Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau

All regionsSouthern Rockies / Colorado PlateauWetland birds

American Bittern in Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau has collapsed: down 85% on the route-weighted index since 1988.

-85%Since 1988
5Routes In Region
34Years

Notable Signals

long arc declinecomputed index

American Bittern has collapsed in Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau: down 85% on the route-weighted index since 1988.

Forecast

If the recent trend holds, American Bittern in Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.00 (95% range 0.00–0.10). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±88.2%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.

n/aChange by 2029
0.00Projected 2029 index
0.00–0.1095% range
±88.2%Backtest error
19832029
Projection of the recent trend (dashed) with 80/95% bands — a projection, not a prediction. Habitat, climate, and land use are not modeled.
YearProjected index95% low95% high
20250.010.000.11
20260.000.000.11
20270.000.000.10
20280.000.000.10
20290.000.000.10

Routes In Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau

Routes recording American Bittern in Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau.
JensenUTAH32024
AlamosaCOLORADO22024
San LuisCOLORADO22011
MoffatCOLORADO11995
Mcphee Res.COLORADO12017

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