MBCP Conserves Birds and Strengthens Communities
The Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership connects birds, habitats, and people to create conditions for birds to flourish. In partnership with other leading wildlife conservation organizations, MBCP sponsors Bird City Maryland, encouraging communities to implement sound bird conservation practices. MBCP works with landowners to install and monitor nest boxes for Barn owls and American Kestrels. MBCP engages volunteers to collect data on the status of birds across the state of Maryland. We then analyze and publish that data, such as the Maryland & DC Breeding Bird Atlas data, to help the conservation community make sound decisions about next steps in bird conservation. MBCP brings people together to give birds more opportunities to thrive in Maryland.
Maryland’s birdlife
Map of the state of Maryland’s level III ecosystems
Maryland’s birdlife is a treasure worth saving. Per square mile, the small state of Maryland represents a tremendous diversity of ecosystems…and birds! From the Western mountains to the Eastern marshes, 300 species of birds are regularly observed in Maryland throughout the year. Over the years, Maryland’s habitats have also attracted over 150 species rare to this region. Yet each year in Maryland—as in all of North America—we are seeing fewer and fewer birds. The good news is that scientists are identifying potential avenues for recovery. Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership is building on the science to save birds and the habitats that support them.
Science Drives MBCP’s conservation work
In less than a single lifetime, North America lost more than one in four of its birds. In 2019, a team of researchers from the United States and Canada published their finding that since 1970, across every ecosystem, 2.9 billion adult breeding birds were lost. Just over five years later, in May 2025, a research team from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology published new findings indicating that the decline in bird populations is getting worse. Both studies were published in Science, the world’s leading scientific journal.
Although the 2025 scientific findings are discouraging, they also offer a potential window of opportunity for recovery of bird populations. These findings and ongoing research, community science, and community engagement are mobilizing Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership and our conservation partners to continue the work of bird conservation. We have the collective expertise and experience to stabilize declining bird populations in Maryland.
Together MBPC and its partners are
creating conditions for birds to flourish in Maryland’s diverse landscapes.
providing thought leadership and developing data about Maryland birds and habitats to support conservation decision making.
conducting outreach to people who care about Maryland’s birds and engaging them in Maryland’s bird conservation opportunities.
Join MBCP to conserve birds and the habitats that support them.
How to Support the MBCP’s Work
MBCP’s Flagship Programs
Maryland Farmland Raptor Program
Barn owl nest box installed at top of a silo. Photo by Thomas Versichelli
Raptors are important indicators of environmental health. In Maryland, the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) and American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) are cavity-nesting species breeding in Maryland that show widespread, long-term population declines. Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership established the Maryland Farmland Raptor Program with our conservation partners in 2019 and by 2021 began installing nest boxes and monitoring and banding chicks. Recently, the program has begun trapping adult birds to gather more data and gain a better understanding of the ecological needs of the Maryland populations of barn owls and kestrels. Learn more about MBCP’s Farmland Raptor Program.
Bird City Maryland
MBCP’s Bird City Maryland is part of the Western hemisphere’s Bird City Network of programs that work directly with local communities to envision and complete bird-friendly actions. Maryland’s 13 (and counting) Bird City communities include cities, counties, and campuses across the state. Check here to see if your Maryland community is involved and to learn more about how to become a Bird city, county, or campus.
Maryland & DC Breeding Bird Atlas 3 (BBA3)
The Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership is the steward of the Maryland & DC Breeding Bird Atlas 3 (BBA3) data. BBA3 is the third comprehensive five-year survey of the birds breeding in Maryland and the District of Columbia, conducted from 2020-2024. MBCP is responsible for overseeing the analysis and making the findings available in digital and/or book formats. BBA3 data will expand on our current knowledge of the region’s breeding birds and contribute to their conservation and management. Click here for more information including the analysis and publication schedule.