“We almost can’t believe it”

Bird watchers and bird experts rejoiced after one of the rarest birds in the United States was discovered at a wildlife preserve in Texas, according to the British Daily Mail. cron.com.

It had been more than a decade since the last sighting of a brown jay in the state before Bob Bowman, a volunteer at the Salinino Wildlife Refuge, caught a glimpse of one recently.

“We almost can’t believe it,” Bowman told Border Report. Per Fox 8. “Right now, I think there are no more than nine Brown Jays in the United States, and they’re all within a mile of here.”

Roughly the size of a crow, brown jays are long-tailed birds with brown on their backs and wings and white markings on their bellies, according to Kron.

For Bowman and his wife, Kate, the event was a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

“This bird is very rare, especially for this location. We’ve never seen one before. So, this is the bird of a life for me and Kate,” Bowman said, according to Fox 8.

Hug the tree The “Bird of Life” is described as a species that a birdwatcher sees for the first time in his life.

While this sighting generated much excitement among bird enthusiasts, it also provided a stark reminder of how once-dominant bird populations have dwindled, largely due to human activity.

Cornell He studies It found that North American bird populations have declined by a third since 1970. This represents a staggering loss of nearly 3 billion birds.

“Birds are indicator species, serving as highly sensitive measures of ecological health, and their declining collective numbers indicate that Earth’s biological systems are in trouble,” the study authors wrote. New York Times.

However, the rare sighting of a brown jay has raised hope that these population losses can one day be reversed, through diligent conservation efforts.

Get free TCD newsletters for easy tips to save more, reduce waste, and make smarter choices — and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD exclusives Rewards Club.