are almost everywhere, so they are difficult to discern. Since the 1970s, the populations of many of the most common North American birds have plummeted. The number of western meadowlarks has decreased by 37%, and grasslands in general have lost an estimated 720 million birds. Populations of piñon jays — one of the signature birds of the Western piñon-juniper landscape — are down a stunning 85%. Altogether, an estimated 3 billion birds have disappeared from the continent in the last couple of generations. Spring may not be silent, but it’s certainly less raucous than it used to be.
