Background information

Partners in Flight Avian Conservation Assessment Database

Partners in Flight’s (PIF) new Avian Conservation Assessment Database (ACAD), launched in 2017, provides global and regional conservation scores for all North American birds from Canada to Panama. ACAD replaces and expands PIF’s previous Species Assessment Database, which included only landbirds in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Species on the updated Watch List are considered the most vulnerable due to a combination of small and declining populations, limited distributions, and high threats throughout their ranges.

Watch List categories

• Watch List - red: Highly vulnerable and in urgent need of special attention. There are 7 species on this list in Canada.
• Watch List - yellow R: Range-restricted and small populations in need of constant care. There are 26 species on this list in Canada.
• Watch List - yellow D: Steep declines and major threats. There are 45 species on this list in Canada.

Common Birds in Steep Decline

• These species do not exhibit broad levels of vulnerability warranting Watch List designation, but their populations have declined across the United States and Canada by an estimated 50% or more over the past 40 years. There are 25 species on this list in Canada.

For details on the methods used to develop ACAD, please see:
Panjabi, A.O., P.J. Blancher, W.E. Easton, J.C. Stanton, D.W. Demarest, R. Dettmers, K.V. Rosenberg, and the Partners in Flight Science Committee. The Partners in Flight Handbook on Species Assessment. Version 2017. Partners in Flight Technical Series No. 3. Bird Conservancy of the Rockies.

Please visit Partner in Flight’s Avian Conservation Assessment Database website to access the full database, and visit Partner’s in Flight’s website for more information and results, including the PIF 2016 Landbird Conservation Plan.