species, Timneh Parrot Psittacus timneh). These intelligent,
Hooded Grebe
gregarious birds are a favourite pet around the world, and
Photo Juan María Raggio
this popularity fuels an illegal trade that now renders both
species Endangered. The European Turtle-dove Streptopelia
turtur was once a familiar migrant to Europe, Central Asia and
the Middle East from the Sahel zone of Africa. Because
of habitat loss and hunting, the species is now declining
across its range and has recently been uplisted to Vulnerable.
The Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus is surely one of the
most widely recognised birds in the world. They are also
widespread, occurring throughout the Arctic tundra of the
Northern Hemisphere. Yet they are experiencing a rapid
decline, most likely connected to climate change, and have
recently been uplisted to Vulnerable. In the marine realm,
the depletion of fish through overfishing and climate change
has caused rapid declines in widespread and much-loved
seabirds such as Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica and Black-
legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla.
A fri c a n-E u rasian v u lt u re
pop u latio n s are i n freefall
Today, just two species of “Old World” vulture remain
Least Concern. Of the rest, eight are classified as Critically
Endangered and are at risk of imminent extinction..
Populations in South Asia were the first to collapse, with
declines of around 95% between 1993 and 2000. These
were principally the result of acute poisoning from livestock
carcasses contaminated with the veterinary drug diclofenac.
More recently, vultures have begun to disappear across vast
swathes of Africa.
RED LIST IN DI C ES F O R S EL E C T E D D E C LI N I NG B I RD G RO U PS
❚ All bird species ❚ Specific bird groups NOTE: An RLI score of 1 equates to all birds being categorised Least Concern, hence
none are expected to go extinct in the near future. A score of 0 means all species have gone extinct. Vertical axes differ.
BETTER
l
l
l
l
l
Red List
Index of
species
survival
l
l
l
l
l
WORSE
O L D WO RL D VU LT URE S Hawaiian endemics asian songbirds
1.00 1.00 1.00
0.90
0.90
0.80
0.80 0.70
0.70 0.60
0.60 0.40
0.50
0.40
0.50
0.30
0.20
0.10
0.30 0.00 0.90
A lbatrosses & P etrels pe ngu ins parrots
1.00 1.00 1.00
l
l
l
l 0.90 0.90 Red List
Index of
species
survival 0.80 0.80 l
l
l
l 0.70 0.70 0.60 0.60 0.70
cran es pacific isla nd pigeo ns bu stards
1.00 1.00 1.00
BETTER
l
l
l
l
l
0.80
0.90
Red List
Index of
species
survival 0.80
l
l
l
l 0.70
0.80
0.70
0.60
l
WORSE
0.90
jul-sep 2018 • birdlife
0.90
0.80
0.60
0.50
0.70
l
WORSE
0.90
BETTER
l
15