New Delhi, Sept. 10 -- Summary Once-rare bird species are making a surprising comeback in North America, thanks to conservation efforts, habitat restoration, and reduced use of harmful pesticides like DDT.

Species such as the merlin, pileated woodpecker, and sandhill crane are thriving again, demonstrating the positive impact of environmental protection and the reversal of past ecological damage.

When I started birdwatching as a teenager, a few years after the first Earth Day in 1970, several species that once thrived in my region were nowhere to be found.

Some, like the passenger pigeon, were extinct. Others had retreated to more remote, wild areas of North America. In many cases, humans had destroyed their habitat by cutting down for...