A few minutes after sunset in February, a handful of people bundled in coats and hats set off on a wooded trail behind the Oklahoma City-County Health Department building. The crew had a short window of visibility to accomplish their task before complete darkness fell.
Binoculars in hand, Oklahoma City Audubon Society members dedicated their evening to finding the whereabouts of the American woodcock. The birders had more than 50 years of experience between them and had yet to hear or see one all winter.
In the fading light, they used a phone app to play the nasally chirp commonly heard around high-moisture forested areas.
“They're short little squatty birds with real long bills,” member Steve Stone said. “Typically, they're more nocturnal in their behavior, and so they like wooded areas during the day – and they do stay awake during the day – they're just harder to find.”
The elusive species is one of several birds missing or found in low numbers during winter migration in the area. Warming temperatures, extreme weather and development are among the suspected reasons for some birds not returning to their usual spots during cold months.
Other Audubon societies in Oklahoma are experiencing similar losses, according to the birding group.
“They've all said this year has been extremely low numbers overall,” birder Jimmy Woodard said ahead of the February outing. “So, it's not just an isolated phenomenon here in Oklahoma City – it's across the board – all the way across the state.”
The OKC group’s outing came after it counted data from the annual Christmas Bird Count, a 125-year-old community science project documenting populations in the U.S. The information offers a view into the movements and health of the nation’s birds.
The group saw low numbers of waterfowl like the wood duck, which prefers secluded ponds over loud lakes. The long-necked northern pintail duck, which is usually easily spotted by the OKC birders, vanished from the list this year.
More northern states, Woodard said, are seeing the birds in the thousands.
“The weather's not forcing them down here like it used to in the winters since our winters typically aren't being as cold overall,” he said.
Observations made by birders in Oklahoma during the annual count were used in the 2025 State of the Birds report released this month, a multi-organizational effort published every few years to document species’ decline. This year’s document shows a third of the nation’s birds need quick conservation action to survive.
“Conserving birds can provide real returns for a strong economy and good health — two priorities for American voters across the political spectrum, according to recent polls,” the report reads. “What is good for birds is good for people, too.”
Sweeping bird declines are taking place in grasslands, the data show. More than half of the birds depending on the ecoregion are in peril, and the plains are losing at least one million acres of grasslands annually
Stone, also a board member of the Oklahoma Ornithological Society, said seed supply on what’s left of the grasslands was likely impacted by the summer drought.
“I think that there's maybe less food,” he said. “I know some of the pine trees have less food this year, and so a majority of migration is food-driven.”
The arrival of leaves and blooms with spring weather, which provide food for pollinators like birds, is also happening at unusual times.
“The timing of green-ups, the timing of leaf-out, the timing of the insect emergence is really crucial for these birds and their ability to rest and refuel during the migrations and to get to the breeding grounds,” said Scott Loss, an ecologist and professor at Oklahoma State University.
While dramatic losses of biodiversity are underway, so are conservation efforts. Ranchers of about three million acres in the plains are working with scientists to preserve bird habitat, the report states. Rotational grazing also sparked a 20% increase in one species of sparrow from 2017 to 2020.
Lobbying and fundraising efforts from conservation organizations like the National Audubon Society and Sierra Club are ramping up under President Donald Trump, whose administration aims to roll back a wide range of environmental policies. With the focus directed away from limiting the effects of climate change, wildlife could suffer from more extreme weather like drought.
But individuals in Oklahoma without ties to national organizations can also make a significant impact.
Research shows planting native species instead of ornamental plants helps usher wildlife along on migration journeys, Loss said. While outdoors, people with Internet access can contribute to a library of information on the state’s wildlife, an effort valuable to researchers like Loss, who used data from eBird in a 2024 migration study.
“The observations of these community or citizen scientists from places like Oklahoma and beyond informed a really good understanding of threats to birds, what they face during migration, how they're able to adapt and not adapt, and thus contributed potentially to conservation advances to address our declining bird populations,” he said. “So, it's all based on this sort of grassroots effort, I would say, that's really crucial.”
Back on the Oklahoma City trail, the group of birders and citizen scientists concluded their field trip after about an hour with no sign of the woodcock. They were already making plans to visit other locations likely to house the species.
“Even though we didn't get the bird that we were targeting, it's still fun just to get out and be outdoors and spend time with our friends,” Stone said.
According to Woodard, at least three or four woodcocks were found a couple of days later at Draper Lake. Although fewer species are making it onto the group’s winter count, the members continue searching on regular field trips.
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