The world has lost, or is on the brink of losing, a great variety of bird species. Just in the last fifty years the collective North American bird population alone is down by 2.9 billion adults. What is causing this alarming loss, and what is being done at Cornell and around the world to try to stop it? How do natural history collections such as those in the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Cornell Museum of Vertebrates help confront bird extinctions at the species and ecosystem levels? The exhibit will include an emphasis on the challenges to biological diversity in an era of climate change.

"Last Call" is part of Mann Library's spring 2026 exhibit program that will also feature:

• Keeping Birds Common: Birds and Habitat at Cornell Botanic Gardens and Beyond, an exhibit of photography by Marie Read in collaboration with Cornell Botanic Gardens and Mann Library, Top Shelf Gallery
• Going to Gone: Earth's Biodiversity Loss and What We Can Do About It, an exhibit of illustrations from rare books in the Cornell Library collections to highlight the threat of biodiversity loss in the 21st century, Mann Lobby

An opening celebration for the exhibit program will take place on Thursday, April 16. Jordan Boersma (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) will present the lecture "Finding Hope in the Search for Lost Birds" at 4:00 p.m. in Mann Room 160. A reception will follow at 5:00 p.m. in the Mann Library Gallery.  All are welcome!

"Last Call: Bird Decline and the Threat of Extinction" is part of a series of exhibits titled From the Brink: Contributions to a Sustainable Future from across Cornell, hosted by different libraries across Cornell University Library in close partnership with other departments and groups on campus.

From the Brink showcases collections, research support, and collaborative efforts across Cornell and illuminates ways of addressing issues of critical, global importance. This series of exhibits aims to stimulate conversations about the threat of environmental and cultural loss and its implications, while also offering insights about positive developments and constructive steps toward a healthier future for our planet and our communities.

Last Call: Bird Decline and the Threat of Extinction  is on display in Mann Gallery (2nd floor) from April 17 through December 24 during all hours the library is open.