Scientists name world's 100 most unique and endangered birds
'Little dodo', flightless parrot and giant ibis among species ranked by evolutionary distinctiveness and global extinction risk
theguardian.com, Thursday 10 April 2014 17.00 BST
The "little dodo", a flightless parrot and the world's largest ibis are among the world's 100 most unique and endangered birds, according to a new study.
Scientists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Yale University assessed the world's 9,993 bird species according to their evolutionary distinctiveness and global extinction risk to produce a list of the world's 100 most Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (Edge) species.
Topping the list is the rare and striking giant ibis (Thaumatibis gigantea) – the world's largest ibis weighing in at 4.2kg and reaching more than one metre in height. With only 230 pairs estimated to remain in the wild, it is a critically endangered species. Habitat loss, human disturbance and hunting have reduced its range to an extremely small, declining population concentrated in Cambodia.
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