By Helen Briggs
BBC News
12 December 2017
Overfishing and changing sea
temperatures are pushing seabirds to the brink of extinction, according to new
data on the world's birds.
Birds that are now globally
threatened include the kittiwake and the Atlantic puffin, which breed on UK sea
cliffs.
Meanwhile, on land, the Snowy Owl
is struggling to find prey as ice melts in the North American Arctic, say
conservation groups.
The iconic bird is listed as
vulnerable to extinction for the first time.
"Birds are well-studied and
great indicators of the health of the wider environment,'' said Dr Ian
Burfield, global science coordinator at BirdLife International, the IUCN Red
List authority on birds.
''A species at higher risk of
extinction is a worrying alarm call that action needs to be taken now. ''
He added that success in kiwi and
pelican conservation had shown that, when well-resourced and supported,
conservation efforts do pay off.
Worldwide, over a quarter of more
than 200 bird species reassessed by the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature have been moved to higher threat categories while a
similar number have been downgraded.
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