BirdAnalyst
State · BBS 2026 Release · 1966–2025

Wisconsin Breeding Birds

231 species recorded across 98 survey routes, 1966 to 2025. Browse by family or guild below.

Wisconsin Bird Population TrendsNotable 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 →

Western Meadowlark has collapsed in Wisconsin: down 100% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

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 →

Canada Goose has surged in Wisconsin: up 174× on the route-weighted index since 1969.

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 →

Black Tern has collapsed in Wisconsin: down 99% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

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 →

House Finch has surged in Wisconsin: up 42× on the route-weighted index since 1990.

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 →

Upland Sandpiper has collapsed in Wisconsin: down 96% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

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 →

Sandhill Crane has surged in Wisconsin: up 33× on the route-weighted index since 1968.

How Bird Guilds Are Faring in WisconsinGuild trendA mean-index aggregate across the species in this group — the structural direction of the guild, with individual-species noise smoothed out.Full methodology →

-81%

Grassland birds

15 species
-53%

Generalists

11 species
-27%

Wetland birds

24 species
-25%

Aerial insectivores

19 species
-2%

Game birds

7 species
+19%

Shorebirds

4 species
+34%

Forest birds

80 species
+101%

Birds of prey

15 species
+172%

Waterfowl

13 species

Wisconsin Bird Survey Routes

Browse Wisconsin Birds 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 →

Each species links to its trend in Wisconsin.

Hawks, Eagles & Kites Accipitridae

American Goshawk -54%Bald Eagle 18×Broad-winged Hawk +111%Cooper's Hawk +121%Northern Harrier -70%Red-shouldered Hawk +8%Red-tailed Hawk +59%Sharp-shinned Hawk -5%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -8%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -40%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

American Black Duck -77%Blue-winged Teal -86%Canada Goose 174×Common Merganser +188%Green-winged Teal -5%Hooded Merganser +9%Mallard -59%Northern Pintail -51%Northern Shoveler +20%Red-breasted Merganser -90%Ring-necked Duck -40%Trumpeter Swan +647%Wood Duck +223%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -49%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

American Bittern -47%Black-crowned Night Heron -21%Great Blue Heron -8%Great Egret +181%Green Heron +29%Least Bittern +17%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing +47%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Common Nighthawk -87%Eastern Whip-poor-will -38%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Dickcissel -72%Indigo Bunting +58%Northern Cardinal +226%Rose-breasted Grosbeak +8%Scarlet Tanager -18%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Turkey Vulture 75×

Treecreepers Certhiidae

Brown Creeper +232%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer +11%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Eurasian Collared-Dove 21×Mourning Dove +92%Rock Pigeon -21%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +8%Blue Jay +4%Canada Jay -72%Common Raven +250%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Black-billed Cuckoo -40%Yellow-billed Cuckoo -36%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -1%Merlin +71%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch -9%Evening Grosbeak -42%House Finch 42×Pine Siskin -82%Purple Finch -28%Red Crossbill +50%White-winged Crossbill +114%

Loons Gaviidae

Common Loon +7%

Cranes Gruidae

Sandhill Crane 33×

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow -90%Barn Swallow +10%Cliff Swallow -21%Northern Rough-winged Swallow -40%Purple Martin -88%Tree Swallow -32%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole -21%Bobolink -82%Brewer's Blackbird -90%Brown-headed Cowbird -45%Common Grackle -61%Eastern Meadowlark -76%Orchard Oriole 23×Red-winged Blackbird -34%Western Meadowlark -100%Yellow-headed Blackbird -94%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat -31%

Shrikes Laniidae

Loggerhead Shrike -60%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Black Tern -99%Common Tern -86%Forster's Tern -24%Herring Gull -83%Ring-billed Gull -6%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher -54%Gray Catbird +48%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite -96%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey +538%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee +201%Boreal Chickadee -44%Tufted Titmouse +146%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart +237%Black-and-white Warbler +297%Black-throated Blue Warbler +392%Black-throated Green Warbler +80%Blackburnian Warbler +134%Blue-winged Warbler +326%Canada Warbler +4%Cape May Warbler +127%Cerulean Warbler -10%Chestnut-sided Warbler +112%Common Yellowthroat +48%Connecticut Warbler -37%Golden-winged Warbler +29%Hooded Warbler +25%Magnolia Warbler +332%Mourning Warbler +35%Nashville Warbler +77%Northern Parula +124%Northern Waterthrush +503%Ovenbird +82%Palm Warbler -44%Pine Warbler 22×Tennessee Warbler -25%Yellow Warbler +68%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Chipping Sparrow +86%Clay-colored Sparrow -47%Eastern Towhee -7%Field Sparrow -72%Grasshopper Sparrow -94%Henslow's Sparrow -84%Lark Sparrow +151%LeConte's Sparrow -76%Lincoln's Sparrow +116%Savannah Sparrow -82%Song Sparrow -13%Swamp Sparrow +46%Vesper Sparrow -92%White-throated Sparrow +16%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -75%

Pelicans Pelecanidae

American White Pelican 15×

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant +77%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Gray Partridge -78%Greater Prairie-Chicken -41%Ring-necked Pheasant -66%Ruffed Grouse +49%Sharp-tailed Grouse -29%Wild Turkey 238×

Woodpeckers Picidae

Downy Woodpecker +123%Hairy Woodpecker +204%Pileated Woodpecker +341%Red-bellied Woodpecker +761%Red-headed Woodpecker -72%Yellow-bellied Sapsucker +371%

Grebes Podicipedidae

Pied-billed Grebe -76%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 16×

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

American Coot -88%Common Gallinule -61%Sora -86%Virginia Rail -65%

Kinglets Regulidae

Golden-crowned Kinglet +33%Ruby-crowned Kinglet -61%

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

American Woodcock -77%Spotted Sandpiper -71%Upland Sandpiper -96%Wilson's Snipe -67%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Red-breasted Nuthatch 16×White-breasted Nuthatch +90%

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl +457%Eastern Screech-Owl +16%Great Horned Owl -35%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling -43%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Ruby-throated Hummingbird +257%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Marsh Wren -40%Northern House Wren +79%Sedge Wren -40%Winter Wren +100%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin +63%Eastern Bluebird +2%Hermit Thrush +111%Swainson's Thrush -54%Veery +18%Wood Thrush +101%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Acadian Flycatcher +28%Alder Flycatcher +67%Eastern Kingbird -30%Eastern Phoebe +28%Eastern Wood-Pewee +72%Great Crested Flycatcher -25%Least Flycatcher -26%Olive-sided Flycatcher -81%Willow Flycatcher +110%Yellow-bellied Flycatcher +115%

Vireos Vireonidae

Bell's Vireo -51%Blue-headed Vireo +443%Red-eyed Vireo +178%Warbling Vireo -14%Yellow-throated Vireo +115%

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