Songbirds in Arctic and Subarctic Alaska

Monitoring bird populations in the northernmost national parks

Worldwide, bird populations have been in decline due to a number of factors. Because birds are sensitive to environmental changes and respond relatively quickly, they are good indicators to detect and understand change. The National Park Service Arctic and Central Alaska inventory and monitoring networks monitor passerines (songbirds), as well as vegetation, climate, and other factors over time. Together, this information has helped us understand changes in high-latitude ecosystems and how birds are responding to them.

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Story Jared Hughey and Nina Chambers

Photography Jared Hughey, Leslie Vierek, and Sarah Swanson

Audio Seth Beaudreault/Toolik Field Station (www.xeno-canto.org) and Davyd Betchkal

Survey animation Dave Swanson