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A new study today in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment leveraged participatory science to reveal regional variation in bird responses to fire across the continental United States in unprecedented detail. These results can help refine fire management techniques to bolster bird populations.

The researchers analyzed data for six bird species of conservation concern whose habitat needs have a tangible impact on fire management decision-making. They unveiled clear, highly detailed regional variation in the ways that wildfire impacts bird populations.

For instance, the population abundance of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers—a Yellow Alert Tipping Point species protected under the Endangered Species Act—showed the strongest positive responses to frequent fire in Louisiana and North Carolina compared to other states in the southeastern U.S.

On the other hand, the analysis also revealed opposite impacts in different areas of the U.S.: populations of American Goshawk—a hawk species known to be sensitive to fire—in California and Colorado were more abundant in areas that hadn't seen fire in a long time, while populations in Idaho were less abundant as time passed since the last wildfire. This kind of detailed information may help fire managers refine when, where, and how often they should use prescribed fires.

"If we're looking to manage forest and fire conditions for biodiversity, it's not one size fits all," said lead author Andrew Stillman, a quantitative applied ecologist for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Center of Avian Population Studies. "We need local information to tailor our management strategies to those local conditions."

The wealth of detail this study demonstrated was thanks to the efforts of birders across the continent, who provided data of a size and scope scientists alone could not obtain. The research team analyzed over 31 million lists of bird observations from the Cornell Lab's eBird—a participatory science platform in which anyone around the world can submit their bird observations. They combined eBird data with data on wildfire frequency, severity, and timing across the U.S. between 2011 and 2021.

Being able to analyze subtle local and regional differences in wildfire impacts was previously a "big missing piece of the puzzle" regarding fire management, Stillman said. Fire management guidelines already exist across the U.S., as fire can be beneficial and maintain or increase biodiversity in certain ecosystems. But ecologists previously lacked insight into small-scale nuances—a gap that eBird data can now help fill.

The Cornell Lab partnered with researchers from the U.S. Forest Service for this study, so the results of the analysis will have a tangible impact on fire management techniques to support bird populations going forward. One such technique is prescribed burns—controlled, intentional fires that benefit some ecosystems.

According to Sarah Sawyer, the national wildlife ecologist for the U.S. Forest Service and co-author of the study, prescribed burn plans can be revised frequently to account for the latest scientific information, and the results of this paper could inform implementation "nearly immediately."

"I don't think [any of the results] went against current management thinking or scientific understanding, but it certainly added a whole lot of nuance," Sawyer said.

The research team is now analyzing the responses of more than 100 bird species to fire in the western U.S., where wildfires have increased in frequency and intensity in recent years. The scientists are optimistic that these studies, powered by eBird data, will improve fire management and benefit wildlife and ecosystem health.

"Unpacking the complicated ways that fire impacts animals is a tough nut to crack," Stillman said. "But the thing that is finally allowing us to do it at this scale is the devoted data collection of volunteer birders from around the world. It's everyday people from all walks of life, and I find that so encouraging."