Population Fluctuations of Common Wintering Birds in Central Piedmont of Virginia

Recent studies show that breeding bird populations are declining in continental scale. However, there are research gaps for regional dynamics of wintering bird population, especially for common sub-urban song birds. We studied the population dynamics of wintering bird populations in Central Virginia using Christmas Bird Count (CBC) data for the period of 1950 - 2018. Our research showed that several common bird species are in decline (e.g. Northern cardinal, Carolina chickadee) while a few are in incline (e.g. Red-tailed hawk, Common raven). These findings suggest that "keeping common species common" should be a conservation priority.