Today marks American Bird Conservancy's (ABC) official 30th anniversary, a celebration of the many programs, people, and partnerships creating a brighter future for the bird species most in need across the Western Hemisphere. After three decades of taking bold action to conserve wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas, ABC's mission-driven work has benefited more than 3,000 bird species to date — around 30 percent of the world's total — that have been recorded at sites protected by ABC and its dozens of partners. 

As we celebrate ABC's 30th anniversary this fall and envision the next 30 years of bird conservation, we're also excited to unveil a new logo that better expresses who ABC is today. Since our founding in 1994, ABC's logo has always featured a hummingbird, a bird family known for its boldness and only found in the Americas. The new logo retains this hummingbird connection, with a special twist: the bird's leaf-shaped back wing symbolizes ABC's focus on bird habitat. Our new look uses a more stylized hummingbird representing the 165 hummingbird species now benefiting from ABC's programs — a change we hope will convey our geographic reach across more than 15 countries.

“No other bird conservation organization has achieved as much on-the-ground habitat conservation as ABC,” said Larry Selzer, current ABC Board chair and longtime ABC Board member. “The organization is focused, disciplined, and fearless. Clear, tangible results combined with the highest ratings from charity rating organizations is a winning combination. It is an honor to work with the staff and Board — their commitment to delivering superior results with integrity and respect gives me hope for the future of birds.”

With a steady focus on its mission and on delivering results, ABC puts a high priority on ensuring that all support received is used to make a positive difference for birds and their habitats on the ground. Dedicated supporters, an expert staff, an independent and experienced Board of Directors, and a strong and diverse network of partners have provided ABC with a powerful formula for success. 

Conserving birds and their habitats throughout the Americas is ABC's priority, inspiration, and mission, but the benefits are far-reaching. People, biodiversity, and our planet's fragile climate all win when we come together to safeguard birds for generations to come.

ABC's 30th anniversary is a great occasion to take a look at how the organization has delivered on its mission. Some high-impact accomplishments, achieved by working together with dozens of partners, include: 

• Establishing a 1.1 million-acre network of 100+ protected areas in 15 countries. The Latin American Reserve Network — supported by ABC and managed by 59 on-the-ground partners — provides protected habitat for more than 80 of the most endangered birds in the Americas, including the Antioquia Brushfinch, Blue-throated Macaw, and Short-crested Coquette. Many migratory birds, including the Wood Thrush and Cerulean and Golden-winged Warblers, also use the habitat in these protected areas. Ongoing international search efforts for bird species considered lost to science continue here and in other locations.

“When we started ECOAN in 2000, I told people that when it comes to saving nature, the solution is to work with local stakeholders and local communities, because they need to be part of the solution,” said Tino Aucca, President of ECOAN (Peru), one of ABC's longest-standing partner groups. “Engage them to be allies by providing them capacity-building, jobs, leadership, and hope with real and concrete actions on the ground. Most organizations didn't want to hear that. But happily, ABC did. ABC was the first international group to hear my message and support our work. Now, see where we are after 24 years working as a great family.”

• Planting more than 7.7 million trees in bird reserves and buffer areas in countries such as the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Peru, resulting in improved habitat for birds and a range of benefits to people, from carbon sequestration to water conservation.

“As a Board member originally from Ecuador, I have been continuously impressed by the depth of ABC's collaboration with partner organizations across Latin America,” said Maribel Guevara, ABC Board member and Director of the ECOador International Film Festival. “In recent decades we have seen a huge number of local organizations created to protect birds in the region, and ABC has been the leader in helping them build new reserves to protect habitats and build institutional stability to steward those areas for the long term. I am so appreciative of ABC staff for making me feel welcome in the organization, and making me feel my opinion is valued and that they care for my people and my land.” 

• Taking bold action with partners to prevent the extinction of birds in Hawai'i, known as the “bird extinction capital of the world.” This work has included translocations of ‘Ua'u (Hawaiian Petrel) and ‘A'o (Newell's Shearwater) to a predator-free site on Nihoku, where both are now successfully breeding; the completion of a 5,600 foot predator-proof fence on Moloka'i to provide seabirds a nesting location above projected sea-level rise; and the establishment of a thriving new population of Millerbirds on Laysan Island. ABC is also involved in the critically important “Birds, Not Mosquitoes” project to save the state's 17 remaining honeycreeper species. This multi-agency partnership is dedicated to decreasing the incidence of deadly avian malaria by reducing populations of the disease-carrying mosquitoes.
  
• Improving management of more than 9.3 million acres of habitat to reverse population declines of migratory birds, much of which was accomplished by working with the Migratory Bird Joint Ventures (JVs) — networks of partners including federal and state agencies, nonprofit groups, tribes, and private landowners. ABC's habitat work, increasingly focused in priority geographies called BirdScapes, is part of our response to the groundbreaking 2019 study (co-authored by ABC) showing that nearly 3 billion birds have been lost from United States and Canada breeding populations since 1970. ABC is also helping expand the Motus Tracking Wildlife Network to better equip researchers in studying the migratory pathways of birds. A few examples of species that are benefiting from ABC-led efforts to improve their habitats are Kirtland's and Golden-winged Warblers, Long-billed Curlew, Northern Bobwhite, Red Knot, Snowy Plover, Swallow-tailed Kite, and Western Meadowlark.
  
• Addressing the top human-caused threats to birds in habitats across the Americas. ABC programs have played a leading role in testing products that prevent collisions and helped pass bird-friendly building ordinances in 27 municipalities; in encouraging millions of cat owners to keep their cats indoors; in the cancellation or restriction of 15 different pesticides that are toxic to birds; and the halting or mitigation of wind energy projects in at least 17 locations where risks to birds were unacceptably high — in keeping with our philosophy that renewable energy is essential in the fight against climate change, yet must be sited in areas where impacts on birds will be minimized.

Since 1994, ABC has grown from a handful of dedicated staff to more than 150 today, with an annual budget of more than $30 million. ABC's founding President Dr. George H. Fenwick led ABC through its fledgling years and built the firm foundation the organization has today, together with Rita Fenwick, who played a critical role with ABC over the course of its history. Now led by Michael J. Parr, the organization continues to flourish, receiving top nonprofit awards every year from charity evaluators such as GreatNonprofits, Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, and Candid.

“Congratulations ABC on three decades of widening the birdwatching field of view to bring the avian conservation conversation into a more inclusively diverse focus,” said J. Drew Lanham, author, poet, public speaker, and scientist based at Clemson University. “It's been said that ‘many hands make light work.' Since conservation means caring, I know that many hearts working together will mean more birds. Here's to the next 30!” 

Looking beyond 2024, ABC is implementing a large-scale vision to conserve the next 10 million acres of bird habitat. Through this ambitious “10 Million Acre Challenge” campaign, ABC will secure protected habitat for “gap” species — endangered birds whose ranges fall outside of any existing protected area in Latin America and the Caribbean — as well as improve habitat for many Neotropical migratory species. In North America, ABC will prioritize healthy habitat for all bird species whose populations are in steep decline. As always, ABC will use rigorous science to prioritize birds of highest concern, ensuring conservation of the most important habitats and sites to prevent extinctions and bring back populations of dwindling species. 

“Bird conservation is my life's work, and I am extremely lucky and proud to have been given the chance to lead ABC,” said Parr, ABC President. “I'm excited about what the future holds and what this organization will achieve over the next 30 years. I believe that — if we stay focused on our mission and true to our principles, including welcoming diverse perspectives and honoring differences through our Together for Birds initiative — we will reach the ultimate milestone: a turning point where bird declines turn to increases, and where bird extinctions are a thing of the past. Working together, we can ensure that the future abounds with birds and nature.”

“However, we can only accomplish this,” Parr added, “by finding ways to be much more inclusive in terms of the people we engage in bird conservation, by removing barriers and ensuring expanded access, and by providing ways to engage people with birds and nature that have not existed before. I look forward to working with ABC's staff, Board, partners, and supporters to make this happen.”

Visit our commemorative issue of Bird Conservation magazine to learn more about ABC's 30 year journey and the future we envision for birds in the next 30 years to come.

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American Bird Conservancy (ABC) takes bold action to conserve wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. Inspired by the wonder of birds, we achieve lasting results for the bird species most in need while also benefiting human communities, biodiversity, and the planet's fragile climate. Our every action is underpinned by science, strengthened by partnerships, and rooted in the belief that diverse perspectives yield stronger results. Founded as a nonprofit organization in 1994, ABC remains committed to safeguarding birds for generations to come. Join us! Together, we can do more to ensure birds thrive.

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