The number of birds in North America has declined by almost 3 billion since 1970, according to a study published in Science. The researchers estimated changes in the populations of 529 species using long-term bird-monitoring databases. Those data showed that the number of individual birds across all of those species had decreased by 29 percent, from around 10 billion in 1970 to just over 7 billion in 2017.

“The data they used provide probably the best long-term, large information on species abundances for any group of animals or plants anywhere in the world,” Natalie Wright, a bird biologist tells The Atlantic. “There’s always uncertainty, but if they are wrong, they are likely underestimating the size of population declines.”

The team also examined 10 years’ worth of data from a network of 143 weather radars, which pick up bird migrations, and found a reduction in migratory biomass of about 14 percent since 2007. “Two completely different and independent monitoring techniques thus signal major population loss across the continent,” the authors wrote in their paper.

The results are particularly concerning because many of the species showing declines are not considered rare or in danger, but are almost everywhere and potentially act as important contributors to food webs and ecosystem function. More than 90 percent of the loss in abundance in the survey data was due to declines in 12 families, including sparrows and blackbirds. Some other species, including many ducks, instead showed increases in abundance—possibly as a result of focused conservation efforts in recent years.

The findings should be a wake-up call. Many of the birds studied spend time in multiple countries within and beyond North America. What our birds need now is a historic, global effort that unites people and organizations with one common goal: bringing our birds back.

There is an old saying----“The only good snake is a dead snake“   I disagree .I know some people like their smooth pets，but I hate them. I shake from head to foot even whenＩ see them on TV

One day I stepped over one in my front yard,, and I probably set a record for the fastest runner and the loudest screamer in my town. And I almost had a heart attack when I walked through my house that night after I saw the snake. For that my husband received a serious warning about leaving his belt on the floor. So you can imagine my response when I saw the news about the lost 8-foot long cobra of a zoo in the Orlando area where I had lived a few weeks ago and it still frightened me . After days of search, they gave up. Then a few days ago, I read about its return. A young lady went out to the car in her garage. There she heard hissing coming from under the car. She immediately called the officers at Animal Control. You guessed it. An 8--foot king cobra was hanging out under the car. It was frightening.

We might not have a king cobra hanging out around us, but maybe a snake is hiding around to see how it can damage us. We need to keep our guard up. I think if the young lady had kept her garage door shut, the king cobra might not have made it to the garage.

Twenty years ago, I became involved in pet therapy (治疗) work. As digging deeper into the job, I had an urge to be a recorder of their daily work to let more and more people know their efforts and contributions. After all, they could not say our languages. It was when I got familiar with the work that I got my golden retriever puppy (金毛寻回犬), whom I named Angel. As she matured and went through obedience training, I realized that she would be a good partner.

Angel is ten now and still works every week. As a rule, she visits two hospitals, a day care for the elderly, and our library’s PAWS for Reading program. Angel has also helped out at a children’s special-needs camp. She is so popular that everywhere we go people recognize her, especially the kids she has worked with.

We have seen some very special things through our pet therapy work. I brought Angel to our local hospital to visit a woman who was completely paralyzed (瘫痪的) on her right side from a stroke. One day, my husband, Jack asked her if she wanted to give Angel a treat. She nodded and gently took the treat, raised her right hand and started petting Angel. Her friend was in the room and said, “She hasn’t been able to move that hand since she had her stroke!”

Somehow it seems appropriate that when Angel visits the hospital, she also performs tricks for the patients with her paws. The best one is when she crouches on the floor and crosses her paws. She stays still and doesn’t move until Jack says “Best wishes”. It’s the best wishes for all the people Angel meets as well as for her.