Boreal birds need half : Maintaining North America's bird nursery and why it matters

After a successful nesting season, as many as 3-5 billion birds (adults and young of the year) leave the region and become key parts of ecological communities stretching from southern Canada and the United States all the way down to the southern tip © Jeff Nadler of South America (Robertson et al. [...] During spring BREEDING POPULATION IN THE NORTH migration, birders thrill to the opportunity of seeing the stunning beauty, diversity, AMERICAN BOREAL FOREST and abundance of boreal forest warblers and other songbirds at migration hot spots throughout the United States and Canada. [...] Although many of the values birds provide are quantifiable in environmental or economic terms, the connection between the Aboriginal Peoples of the boreal forest and birds is not. [...] Healthy and productive bird populations in the boreal forest support the continuation of traditional and spiritual practices that have been taking place for thousands of years, contributing to the well-being and sustainability of the rich Aboriginal cultures of the boreal. [...] The shorelines of Manitoba’s Great Lakes offer some of the longest and most productive freshwater coastal wetlands in the world and provide remarkable habitat for a variety of waterbirds, including the Common Tern.