BirdAnalyst
State · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

Wisconsin Breeding Birds

231 species recorded across 98 survey routes, 1966 to 2024. 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 226× 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 44× 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 35× 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
-52%

Generalists

11 species
-29%

Wetland birds

24 species
-27%

Aerial insectivores

19 species
-5%

Game birds

7 species
+10%

Shorebirds

4 species
+34%

Forest birds

79 species
+84%

Birds of prey

15 species
+201%

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 -55%Bald Eagle 17×Broad-winged Hawk +90%Cooper's Hawk +108%Northern Harrier -52%Red-shouldered Hawk +16%Red-tailed Hawk +57%Sharp-shinned Hawk -5%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -8%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -42%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

American Black Duck -77%Blue-winged Teal -85%Canada Goose 226×Common Merganser +137%Green-winged Teal -5%Hooded Merganser -20%Mallard -55%Northern Pintail -51%Northern Shoveler +20%Red-breasted Merganser -90%Ring-necked Duck -40%Trumpeter Swan +675%Wood Duck +190%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -55%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

American Bittern -31%Black-crowned Night Heron -21%Great Blue Heron -10%Great Egret +194%Green Heron +18%Least Bittern +17%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing +43%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Common Nighthawk -79%Eastern Whip-poor-will -56%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Dickcissel -65%Indigo Bunting +51%Northern Cardinal +237%Rose-breasted Grosbeak +7%Scarlet Tanager -17%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Turkey Vulture 60×

Treecreepers Certhiidae

Brown Creeper +180%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer +13%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Eurasian Collared-Dove 16×Mourning Dove +86%Rock Pigeon -28%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +9%Blue Jay +4%Canada Jay -72%Common Raven +237%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Black-billed Cuckoo -22%Yellow-billed Cuckoo -11%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -4%Merlin +108%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch -14%Evening Grosbeak -42%House Finch 44×Pine Siskin -80%Purple Finch -26%Red Crossbill +62%White-winged Crossbill +114%

Loons Gaviidae

Common Loon +20%

Cranes Gruidae

Sandhill Crane 35×

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow -91%Barn Swallow +10%Cliff Swallow -21%Northern Rough-winged Swallow -17%Purple Martin -89%Tree Swallow -30%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole -23%Bobolink -81%Brewer's Blackbird -84%Brown-headed Cowbird -43%Common Grackle -59%Eastern Meadowlark -75%Orchard Oriole 23×Red-winged Blackbird -33%Western Meadowlark -100%Yellow-headed Blackbird -93%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat -32%

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 -32%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher -54%Gray Catbird +43%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite -96%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey +359%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee +223%Boreal Chickadee -44%Tufted Titmouse +130%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart +245%Black-and-white Warbler +262%Black-throated Blue Warbler +502%Black-throated Green Warbler +93%Blackburnian Warbler +168%Blue-winged Warbler +282%Canada Warbler +14%Cape May Warbler +342%Cerulean Warbler +11%Chestnut-sided Warbler +114%Common Yellowthroat +50%Connecticut Warbler -37%Golden-winged Warbler +20%Magnolia Warbler +400%Mourning Warbler +35%Nashville Warbler +96%Northern Parula +142%Northern Waterthrush +382%Ovenbird +83%Palm Warbler -32%Pine Warbler 22×Tennessee Warbler -25%Yellow Warbler +55%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Chipping Sparrow +85%Clay-colored Sparrow -45%Eastern Towhee -7%Field Sparrow -73%Grasshopper Sparrow -96%Henslow's Sparrow -84%Lark Sparrow +120%LeConte's Sparrow -76%Lincoln's Sparrow +113%Savannah Sparrow -83%Song Sparrow -18%Swamp Sparrow +37%Vesper Sparrow -93%White-throated Sparrow +20%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -73%

Pelicans Pelecanidae

American White Pelican 22×

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant +77%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Gray Partridge -78%Greater Prairie-Chicken -40%Ring-necked Pheasant -68%Ruffed Grouse +99%Sharp-tailed Grouse -29%Wild Turkey 228×

Woodpeckers Picidae

Downy Woodpecker +132%Hairy Woodpecker +203%Pileated Woodpecker +376%Red-bellied Woodpecker +756%Red-headed Woodpecker -78%Yellow-bellied Sapsucker +330%

Grebes Podicipedidae

Pied-billed Grebe -76%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 15×

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

American Coot -85%Common Gallinule -61%Sora -85%Virginia Rail -65%

Kinglets Regulidae

Golden-crowned Kinglet +103%Ruby-crowned Kinglet -65%

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

American Woodcock -77%Spotted Sandpiper -67%Upland Sandpiper -96%Wilson's Snipe -62%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Red-breasted Nuthatch 15×White-breasted Nuthatch +92%

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl +411%Eastern Screech-Owl +16%Great Horned Owl -26%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling -43%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Ruby-throated Hummingbird +280%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Marsh Wren -31%Northern House Wren +79%Sedge Wren -41%Winter Wren +99%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin +58%Eastern Bluebird -20%Hermit Thrush +105%Swainson's Thrush -53%Veery +12%Wood Thrush +75%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Acadian Flycatcher +43%Alder Flycatcher +77%Eastern Kingbird -33%Eastern Phoebe +1%Eastern Wood-Pewee +61%Great Crested Flycatcher -30%Least Flycatcher -29%Olive-sided Flycatcher -81%Willow Flycatcher +114%Yellow-bellied Flycatcher +101%

Vireos Vireonidae

Bell's Vireo -39%Blue-headed Vireo +518%Red-eyed Vireo +183%Warbling Vireo -16%Yellow-throated Vireo +103%

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