Iowa City celebrates Bird Friendly Community designation

The Iowa City Bird Club announced at the January 20, 2026, City Council meeting that Iowa City has been designated as a Bird Friendly Community for its commitment to the conservation of birds and habitat. This designation requires documentation that the community meets criteria in protecting, restoring, and enhancing bird habitat, reducing threats to birds, and educating and engaging people in birding and conservation.

The application for this notable designation was assembled by volunteers from the Iowa City Bird Club and representatives from multiple city departments. It details a variety of past and ongoing initiatives, such as programs that promote native habitat and encourage reduced pesticide use on private property, Warbler Walks hosted by the Iowa City Bird Club at Hickory Hill Park (a designated Important Bird Area), the adoption of nature-based solutions, sustainability features in city buildings, and more.

Because of these efforts, Iowa City also achieved "High Flyer" status, which is reserved for communities that meet more challenging criteria, not typically pursued as part of an initial application.

"Achieving High Flyer status on their first try is remarkable," said Erica Place of the Bird Friendly Iowa Steering Committee. "Iowa City submitted a robust application and it is clear that the community has a strong awareness that birds are more than beautiful - they are an important part of a healthy ecosystem and critical to our quality of life, as well as a means of connecting residents and visitors with our environment."

Bird Friendly Iowa is a community education and action program that promotes bird and habitat conservation across the entire state. It is part of the Bird City Network, a special program of the American Bird Conservancy and Environment for the Americas, and is a partnership of several Iowa conservation organizations, agencies and individuals including Trees Forever, Iowa Audubon, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, Iowa Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Diversity Program, Iowa Wildlife Center, Iowa Ornithologists' Union, and the Iowa County Conservation System.

More information about Bird Friendly Iowa, including instructions on how Iowa communities and counties can apply for this special recognition, can be found at https://www.BirdFriendlyIowa.org.