North American Breeding Bird Survey in Mississippi

Does it seem like you are hearing fewer Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) calls in recent years than you remember when you were younger? Conversely, have you also noticed hearing more “cooing” of Eurasian Collared-Doves (Streptopelia decaocto)? Do such experiences reflect changes in bird populations or are they false impressions? Well, fortunately for us, we have one of the most powerful wildlife data sets freely available, only a few mouse clicks away, for divining these answers. For most of our songbirds, their population trends are estimated from data gathered during the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS).