Home → Fish & Wildlife → Community Sciense Projects → Maine Bird Atlas
Maine Bird Atlas
On this page:
About
The Maine Bird Atlas was a large-scale, community-science project designed to document the distribution and abundance of bird species across the state. Conducted from 2018-2022, the Atlas combined standardized survey methods with thousands of volunteer observations to create the most comprehensive assessment of Maine's breeding and wintering birds ever completed.
The project documented where birds occur, when they are present, how they use Maine's diverse habitats, and in some cases, abundance. These data now serve as a critical snapshot of bird populations in the early 21st century, not only creating a new dataset and benchmark for tracking changes into the future, but it also created the ability to assess change since Maine's first atlas forty years ago (Atlas of Breeding Birds in Maine 1978-1983 (PDF)) .
With data collection and analysis complete, the Maine Bird Atlas now stands as a long-term scientific resource that will inform wildlife management, conservation planning, research, and public education for decades to come.
Project Status
The Maine Bird Atlas was made possible by the extraordinary efforts of more than 6,500 volunteers, along with the dedication of partner organizations, researchers, and staff who supported this ambitious, statewide project. Together, millions of observations over five years created this unprecedented record of Maine's breeding and wintering birds.
Data collection for the Atlas was officially completed on March 15, 2023. Review, analysis, and synthesis of this wealth of information culminated in a comprehensive manuscript which was completed and delivered to the University of Maine Press for publication at the end of 2025. This work will serve as a cornerstone for bird conservation, research, and wildlife management in Maine for decades to come. The anticipated book release date will be fall of 2026, with pre-order information coming soon. Please check back regularly for updates. In the meantime, we are pleased to share preliminary summaries that offer an early look at patterns and trends observed during the project:
- Breeding Atlas Results Summary
- Winter Atlas Results Summary
Thank you again to everyone who contributed time, expertise, and enthusiasm to the Maine Bird Atlas. This project would not have been possible without your commitment and passion for Maine's birds.
What Is a Bird Atlas?
Bird atlases are conducted worldwide to map the distribution, and often relative abundance, of bird species across a defined geographic area during a specific period of time. They follow standardized methodologies so results can be compared across regions and repeated at roughly 20-year intervals.
In North America, many states and provinces completed "first-generation" breeding bird atlases in the late 20th century. These efforts established baseline information that allows today's atlases to measure changes in bird populations and distributions over time.
Why the Focus on Birds?
Birds are excellent indicators of environmental health. They occur in nearly every habitat, respond quickly to environmental change, and are relatively easy to detect and identify. Because of this, changes in bird populations often reflect broader ecological shifts.
Birds also enrich our lives and provide important ecological benefits, including pollination, seed dispersal, and natural pest control. Their accessibility to the public has helped make birding one of the most popular forms of outdoor recreation, contributing billions of dollars annually to the U.S. economy.
Why a Maine Bird Atlas?
Maine conducted its first breeding bird atlas between 1978 and 1983. Since that time, the state had not completed a comprehensive, statewide assessment of breeding birds, and no previous atlas had documented wintering bird species.
Given decades of environmental change and the absence of statewide winter bird data, a modern atlas was essential. The Maine Bird Atlas fills that gap by providing an up-to-date, scientifically rigorous assessment of both breeding and wintering birds across the state.
This work supports the mission of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to conserve and manage wildlife for current and future generations. Atlas data will be used to guide species status assessments, identify priorities for conservation, support habitat protection efforts, and improve our understanding of how birds use Maine's landscapes throughout the year.