Our Feathered Friends Are Going, Going

In yet another indication of how sick the environment in the U.S. is, nearly a third of the 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in significant decline, according to a new federal study.

The report, called "The U.S. State of the Birds," combines 40 years of studies from government agencies and data gathered by citizen scientists participating in bird censuses.

The majority of native Hawaiian bird species, including the nene goose (photo, right) are in danger of extinction because of habitat destruction, invasive species and disease, the report say. Populations of bird species native to grassland regions and coastal areas of the mainland United States have also declined.

But conservation projects have been successful in reversing declines in some bird populations.

Populations of 39 different species of waterfowl, including the wood duck (photo, left) have increased by more than 100 percent during the past 40 years, thanks to efforts to restore more than 30 million acres of wetlands.