The most reliable long-term population trend data for the Swainson's Hawk in Canada comes from the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). BBS results indicate that the Canadian population has been relatively stable or slightly increasing since 1970. Results from throughout North America suggest an increase of about 63% of the continental population. The Swainson's Hawk's national population abundance was unacceptably low when monitoring began, as a result of persecution (Farmer et al. 2008). Because the historical abundance of the species remains unknown, a specific management goal has not yet been set. However, with a relatively stable population trend, the Swainson's Hawk's current population is at an acceptable level (see BBS Canada graph below).
Additional information on: Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis