Last Call: Bird Decline and the Threat of Extinction

The world has lost, or is on the brink of losing, many remarkable bird species. Meanwhile, many once-numerous bird populations are rapidly shrinking. In North America alone, research led by Cornell scientists has shown that the continent’s total number of birds has declined by an estimated 2.9 billion adults over just a few decades, reflecting widespread pressures such as habitat loss, climate change, pollution, and invasive species. 

A collaboration among Cornell University Library, the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the Cornell Museum of Vertebrates, the exhibit Last Call: Bird Decline and the Threat of Extinction spotlights bird species lost to extinction, as well as some brought back from the brink, or thrillingly rediscoved after many decades. Featuring specimens, historical illustrations, photographs, video and sound recordings, the exhibit showcases how these resources help scientists better understand bird decline and loss, as well as how conservation efforts can help them recover. 

This exhibit is concurrent with related exhibits at Mann Library: Keeping Common Birds Common: Birds and Habitat at Cornell Botanic Gardens and Beyond, and Going to Gone: Earth's Biodiversity Loss and What We Can Do About It.

Join us for an opening celebration for these exhibits  on Thursday, April 16, with a lecture by Cornell Lab of Ornithology researcher Jordan Boersma on "Finding Hope in the Search for Lost Birds" at 4:00 p.m. in Mann Room 160, and a reception at 5:00 p.m. in the Mann Library Gallery. All are welcome!

Other related events include:

• “Birds and Blooms” monthly bird and habitat tours, starting April 17 with Cornell Botanic Gardens and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Register at cornellbotanicgardens.org.

• “Keeping Our Common Birds Common” hybrid lecture April 26, 3:00 p.m., by Douglas Tallamy, professor of entomology and wildlife ecology in the University of Delaware, presented by Cornell Botanic Gardens, at Call Auditorium, Kennedy Hall by zoom (registration required).

• Biodiversity Fest, Thursday, September 24:, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. in the Mann Library lobby. Come find out about efforts being made by departments, programs and student groups across campus to sustain the diversity of life on planet Earth!

Last Call is part of a series of exhibits titled From the Brink: Contributions to a Sustainable Future from across Cornell, hosted by different libraries across Cornell University Library in close partnership with other departments and groups on campus.