The surprising recovery of once-rare birds

It’s not every day that you see a 4-foot-tall bird, but it’s happening more often. Several fascinating species are nesting in and near towns once again.

By: Tom Langen, Clarkson University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: January 18, 2026

Words: 1,311

Last Updated: 2 months ago

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By Tom Langen, Clarkson University

When I started bird-watching as a teenager, a few years after the first Earth Day in 1970, several species that once thrived in my region were nowhere to be found.

Some, like the passenger pigeon, were extinct. Others had retreated to more remote, wild areas of North America. In many cases, humans had destroyed their habitat by cutting down forests, draining wetlands and converting grasslands to agriculture. Pesticides …

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