STATE OF THE WORLD ’ S BIRDS
State : the current health of bird populations
Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica
Photo Richard Bartz
It is now widely acknowledged that we are in the midst of a mass extinction event – the sixth such episode in our planet ’ s 4.5 billion year history , and the first to be driven by the actions of a single species – humankind . Scientists estimate that species are disappearing at a rate 100 to 10,000 times greater than would naturally occur , with perhaps dozens of species going extinct every day . Our lack of knowledge about the natural world means that there is considerable uncertainty as to the true extent of the crisis . A few groups of organisms , however , are well known – none more so than birds .
One in eight birds is threatened with extinction
Sadly , there has been a steady and continuing deterioration in the status of the world ’ s birds since the first comprehensive assessment of the IUCN Red List in 1988 . At least 40 % of the world ’ s 11,000 bird species now have declining population trends , and 13 % – roughly one in eight – are globally threatened with extinction . Threatened species are not evenly distributed amongst bird groups . For instance , there are particularly high proportions of threatened species among cranes ( 73 %), African-Eurasian vultures ( 68 %), albatrosses ( 68 %) and parrots ( 29 %).
THE THREAT OF EXTINCTION IS SPREADING TO ONCE WIDE- SPREAD , FAMILIAR SPECIES
Many globally threatened bird species have tiny populations and very small ranges . Increasingly , however , widely distributed and familiar bird species are also coming under threat of extinction , often as the result of large-scale exploitation and habitat degradation . Until recently , Yellowbreasted Bunting Emberiza aureola was one of Eurasia ’ s most abundant bird species , breeding across the northern Palaearctic from Finland to Japan . However , since 1980 , its population has declined by 90 %, whilst its range has contracted by 5,000 km , and the species is now considered Critically Endangered . Although banned , large-scale hunting of this Chinese delicacy continues – in 2001 an estimated one million buntings , known colloquially as ‘ the rice bird ’, were consumed in China ’ s Guangdong province alone . Rampant overexploitation also lies behind the ongoing decline of Grey Parrot Psittacus erithacus ( and its sister
14 birdlife • jul-sep 2018