Press releases may contain information regarding programs, policies, regulation, rules, or fees of DWR and are current at the date of release. Information beyond that date is subject to change. Please contact DWR for further inquiries.
Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas Delivers Completed Website to Support Bird Conservation
Richmond, VA—After more than a decade of dedicated work including data collection, analysis, and content production, the website for Virginia’s Second Breeding Bird Atlas went live on Oct. 31, 2025. Now, just eight months after it launched, 10 new pages of content are available to the public. With this update, K-12 educators can learn how the Atlas can support their work in the classroom and fulfill standards of learning requirements. The public, bird enthusiasts, and scientists can explore how species distributions have changed over the past 30 years; how Virginia’s geography, climate, and habitats support breeding birds; and how the Atlas will be used in the conservation of declining bird species.
With this additional information now published, the Atlas website is available in its entirety, delivering the comprehensive platform originally envisioned. This milestone marks the culmination of the project’s phased rollout, bringing together all planned features, data, and resources into a single, fully realized destination for bird conservation, research, and exploration.
‘This new content significantly enhances the conservation impact of the Atlas website, which was always intended to be a living document that can be modified and added to,” said Sergio Harding, a bird conservation biologist with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR). “In order to further heighten its conservation potential, we also invite researchers to contact us with their ideas of novel ways to analyze raw data from the Atlas.”
This monumental launch and unprecedented follow-up could only be achieved with dedicated partners and nearly 1,500 individuals and organizations contributing to the Atlas, with DWR, the Virginia Society of Ornithology (VSO) and the Conservation Management Institute at Virginia Tech (CMI) leading the project.
“The Atlas program represents everything positive that can happen when conservation agencies and organizations and people work together towards a common goal,” said Scott Klopfer, director of CMI. “Virginia now has some of the most detailed, comprehensive avian data available in the U.S., and it could not have happened without the massive efforts of birders in Virginia.”
“The Virginia Society of Ornithology looks forward to the use of the Atlas in conserving Virginia’s birds and, by extension, our overall environment,” said Diane Lepkowski, president of the VSO. “The newly published content provides a roadmap for such efforts, as well as tools to help educators apply the Atlas in the classroom and encouraging the next generation of bird lovers and scientists. We are excited to continue our support of the application and further development of Atlas.”
The Atlas was a monumental undertaking that will inform conservation in Virginia for years to come. Visit the website and learn more about the birds that call Virginia home and how you can support them.