Context
The threats to the birds are a result of habitat loss, pollution, human–wildlife conflicts and climate change.
The Report
- The new analysis is done by International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and BirdLife International, a global initiative to protect birds and wildlife by non-profits.
- Published in: journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- The researchers identified the distribution range for each of the 557 species based on richness, endemism, geographic spread, conservation status and population trends.
- The results were derived from analysis of data from BirdLife International database of 2012 and IUCN database of 2015.
Key -Highlights of the Report
- Around 30 per cent of the 557 raptor species around the world are threatened by extinction to some degree. Of them,
- 18 species are critically endangered
- 25 are endangered
- 57 are vulnerable
- 66 are near-threatened
- The Philippine eagle, the hooded vulture and the Annobon scops-owl were among the 166 species facing some degree of threat. These birds of prey hunt larger vertebrates and feed on their flesh.
- Raptors prey on a wide range of vertebrates and thus, facilitate long-distance seed dispersal. This indirectly increases seed production and pest control.
- Indonesia had the most raptor species, followed by Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
- India: Some vulture populations have declined by over 95 per cent in Asian countries such as India because of
- widespread use of diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug
- Africa: In Africa, particularly West Africa, vulture populations have decreased by an average of 95 per cent in rural areas over the last 30 years as the result of
- shooting and poisoning through feeding on carcasses of livestock treated with diclofenac.
- Philippine: The population of Philippine eagles, the largest variety of eagles in the world, decreased rapidly in the last decades due to-
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The Annobon scops-owl, with an estimated population of fewer than 250 and restricted to Annobon Island off West Africa, was recently classified as ‘critically endangered’ because of rapid habitat loss and degradation.
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Major threats to birds
- The threats to the birds are a result of
- Habitat loss
- Pollution
- Human–wildlife conflicts
- Climate change
