ANNUAL REPORT 2019 STRATEGIC BIRD CONSERVATION FRAMEWORK MISSION: ABC is dedicated to conserving wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. HOW WE WORK: With an emphasis on achieving results and working in partnership, we take on the greatest problems facing birds today, innovating and building on rapid advancements in science to halt extinctions of endangered birds, protect habitats for birds of conservation concern, eliminate threats to all birds, and build capacity for bird conservation. COVER: The Blond-crested Woodpecker is one of more than 2,900 species recorded at ABC- ABOVE: Black-throated Trogon by Nick Athanas supported reserves. Fortunately, not all of these species are threatened, but rare and common species alike benefit from ABC conservation across the hemisphere. Photo by Glenn Bartley MESSAGE from the PRESIDENT Dear Partners and Supporters: I trust that this note finds you and your families Today, bird conservation is at a pivot point. We safe and well as we continue to navigate these will emerge from COVID to a changed world — challenging months. Thank you very much for opportunity will favor the bold and the relevant. supporting American Bird Conservancy (ABC). I am The 2019 paper on the loss of nearly 3 billion birds pleased to report that ABC has thankfully been able has changed the national conversation about birds to remain focused on delivering bird conservation in a fundamental way. New donors are supporting results with relatively few major project delays, bird conservation, agencies are developing programs despite the pandemic. to address bird loss, the news media is focused on the issue, and policy decisions are favoring birds in For example, we recently learned that ABC won its novel ways. But we have a limited window of time to legal case to overturn the harmful 2017 reinterpreta- capitalize on this interest. The story will begin to fade tion of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) that gave unless we continue to act decisively. some industries a free pass for killing birds. This win is one of The ABC staff has developed the most important blows we We are determined to emerge a plan to maximize these have landed in the struggle to opportunities, and we are restore declining birds — an from these difficult times as an determined to emerge from effort made even more urgent organization that is even more these difficult times as an since a study, co-authored by organization that is even ABC and published in Science vibrant, relevant, engaging, and more vibrant, relevant, in fall 2019, documented the effective than it is today. engaging, and effective than loss of almost 3 billion birds it is today. For example, from the United States and we are expanding our Canada since 1970. It could still be appealed, but the U.S. habitat work for migratory birds, leading an MBTA decision is likely to have significant and posi- historic effort to save Hawai‘i’s birds from mosquito- tive implications for birds, especially those benefiting transmitted avian malaria, accelerating work to from ABC’s threat-focused programs such as our work protect the most endangered birds in Latin America, to reduce bird collisions with communication towers launching an outreach program to engage young and to advance bird-smart wind power. people in bird conservation, exploring a campaign for a new federal songbird stamp, moving forward with a While we have been adapting to our new temporary continent-wide “Bird City” program, and more. COVID-induced work reality, the United States has been coming to terms with racial bias in a way that we Our team is ready. We just need the resources in place, have never seen before. Our response to this, and to and we will be poised to make all of this happen! the COVID crisis, are critical to the future of ABC. We I look forward to hearing your ideas on how we can are hiring a Chief Diversity Officer and creating a staff make the most of these exciting programs. This is the committee focused on improving equity, diversity, time to advance bird conservation as never before. and inclusion across ABC and its programs. We are Thank you again for your wonderful support. also developing a sector-wide initiative to invite under-represented groups into the bird community. Sincerely, Michael J. Parr President 3 | ANNUAL REPORT 2019 Halting Extinctions of ENDANGERED BIRDS In 2019, ABC and our partners protected more than 21,000 acres of critical habitat for some of Latin America’s most endangered bird species. We established five new reserves and expanded four others across four countries, boosting our land protection network to 1,075,282 acres across more than 90 sites in 15 countries. More than 2,900 bird species are found in ABC-supported reserves. ✦ In a bid to prevent the extinction of the Endangered total of 81 fledglings had hatched in and flown from Lilacine Amazon — a parrot found only in western our partner Asociación Armonía’s nest boxes — a Ecuador — ABC and Rainforest Trust supported the significant contribution to this Critically Endangered establishment of the Las Balsas Communal Reserve, species’ global population, which may not exceed 450. protecting a vital roosting site in collaboration with the local community and our partner Fundación de ✦ Efforts to find additional populations of Colombia’s Conservación Jocotoco. Antioquia Brushfinch were rewarded in October 2019, when search teams found birds at eight ABC achieved another first in Brazil’s São Paulo state, localities, five of which were previously unknown supporting establishment of the Bicundinho Wildlife sites for the species. Expedition participants — Refuge — the first protected area for the Critically including ABC staff, our partner Salvamontes, Endangered Marsh Antwren. The refuge was declared and local researchers — counted more than 20 by the municipality of Guararema, working with the individuals, representing at least a two-fold increase local organizations Guaranature and SAVE Brasil. in the known global population of the species and Other rare Brazilian species benefiting from our offering new opportunities for its conservation. This 2019 habitat protection efforts include the Araripe rusty-crowned songbird was re-discovered in 2018 Manakin; thanks to work with our partner Aquasis, a near the city of Medellín. new municipal wildlife refuge was established for this Critically Endangered species, covering 17 percent ✦ An ABC project to locate breeding sites for the of its range. For the Kaempfer’s Woodpecker, ABC rare white-faced form of the Black-capped Petrel supported a new conservation model with our partner advanced when, on September 30, a satellite-tracked Instituto Araguaia: a 10-year land lease that will result bird crossed into the Dominican Republic, revealing in a permanent conservation easement, helping this a potentially new nesting area near known colonies. and many other declining species. In other seabird news, Peruvian Diving-petrels returned to Chile’s Isla Chañaral, where ABC, Island ✦ ABC-supported nest box programs continue to boost Conservation, and the country’s national park agency populations of some of the world’s rarest parrots. (CONAF) collaborated to install artificial burrows, For example, since the Endangered Gray-breasted cameras, and speakers to attract the Endangered birds. Parakeet nest box project was launched by our partner Aquasis in 2010, more than 1,500 chicks ✦ To restore habitat for threatened resident and have fledged into the wild of Brazil’s Baturité migratory birds, ABC and partners planted 429,530 Mountains. Volunteers tallied a record-high trees and shrubs across more than 1,300 acres 657 birds in December 2019. Another in nine Latin American and Caribbean milestone was reached in Bolivia, countries and Hawai‘i. Species benefiting where 12 Blue-throated Macaw include the Critically Endangered Palila chicks fledged from nest boxes at the of Hawai‘i and the Blackburnian 1,690-acre Laney Rickman Reserve Warbler and other migratory during the 2018-2019 nesting songbirds wintering in northern Peru. season. By the end of 2019, a TOP RIGHT: Frilled Coquette, Brazil. Photo by Nick Athanas LEFT: Lilacine Amazon by Jacobo Quero, Shutterstock 4 | ANNUAL REPORT 2019 STAFF HIGHLIGHT Bennett Hennessey, Brazil Program Coordinator “I’ve always wanted to spend my life helping nature because nature needs help,” says Bennett. While studying zoology and environmental science at the University of Toronto, he took a deep dive into studying birds, the wildlife most visible during Ontario’s long winters. Already enamored of acoustics and jazz, Bennett soon took to identifying birds by ear. “I love music and sound, and I like being surrounded by music. My father was a music professor, so I guess it runs in the family,” he adds. After graduation, Bennett studied mammals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for a year before setting his sights back on the Western Hemisphere. He read about Bolivia’s Madidi National Park, considered by many to be the world’s most biologically diverse protected area. “Within the first week of coming down here, I said, ‘Okay, this is where I want to work,’” Bennett says of the country he’s called home for the last 27 years. Bennett and ABC were a natural match. “I want to do productive conservation in Brazil as well as in Bolivia. ABC and I have the same priorities — to do what we’ve got to do to avoid extinctions through science-based understanding and working with partners.” Bennett also works part time for ABC’s Bolivian partner Asociación Armonía, supervising the Barba Azul Nature Reserve, a key site for the Critically Endangered Blue-throated Macaw and hundreds of other bird species that receive vital support from ABC. Conserving Habitat for BIRDS OF CONCERN Our BirdScapes approach brings a big vision to a big problem: reversing the staggering declines of migratory birds (see p.12).