Greenfinch destined for UK Red List?

21/12/2017

The 20th annual BirdTrends report from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has been published, notably highlighting the rapid and alarming decline of Greenfinch.

Though still a familiar garden bird, Greenfinch has declined by 59 per cent in the UK in just 10 years, prompting concerns for its status. The species was not classified as of conservation concern when the UK's list was last updated in 2015 but, should the current rate of decline continue, it could be moved straight to the Red List in the next update. The decline is caused by a widespread and severe outbreak of a disease called trichomonosis, which was first noted affecting bird populations in 2006.

In contrast, one species that is doing particularly well is Common Chiffchaff, which is continuing to increase its breeding range and population. Record numbers of this small Phylloscopus warbler were caught by bird ringers on their constant effort ringing sites. Once a very rare sight during the colder months, this species is benefiting from milder winters and can increasingly be seen on sunny days in sheltered locations throughout Britain, particularly in the milder coastal areas and around inland waterbodies.

The BirdTrends report covers 120 of Britain's commonest and most widespread birds, from Mute Swan to Corn Bunting, and it makes for interesting reading. The data covered in the report were gathered by thousands of volunteer citizen scientists, who each year record the birds on their patch to track how well they are doing.

Some count the birds they record on two early morning survey visits. The Breeding Bird Survey covers all habitats and volunteers are allocated a nearby square from a pre-selected list. Volunteer Alan Gomersall was initially disappointed not to get a square in the countryside but, after 20 years of recording in a Bedfordshire housing estate, said: "I am glad I continued, I have found a surprising number of different species over the years and it has been fascinating to see the changes; in 2003 I counted 50 Greenfinches, this year they were down to just five."

To access the report, please visit www.bto.org/about-birds/birdtrends/2017.

Puffin alert! RSPB warns of extinction risk to Scotland’s cutest seabird

11th April 2017 by Susan Smith 

The puffin and the curlew have been moved onto the conservation red list in the latest report into the state of birds in the UK

Scotland's iconic puffin is at risk of global extinction and the much loved curlew is now the most pressing bird conservation priority in the UK, according to a new report.

More than one quarter of UK birds are in need of urgent conservation effort according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) latest State of UK birds report. 

The report found that more than a quarter of the UK’s regularly-occurring bird species, including many whose strongholds are in Scotland, are now what conservationists refer to as red-listed.

Read more at

Three bird species removed from UK's Red List

By Herts & Essex Observer  |  Posted: December 05, 2015

Three species removed from UK’s red list of bird

Three species have been removed from the Red List of birds of highest conservation concern following the latest assessment of the status of the UK's 244 bird species.

The report – Birds of Conservation Concern 4 – contains good news for some of the East of England's most recognisable wildlife and demonstrates that targeted conservation action can make a real difference.

Bittern, nightjar and dunlin have been downgraded from the Red List to the Amber List. Both bittern and nightjar owe their improved status to targeted actions that have triggered a boost in numbers.

Eastern England is home to more than half of the UK's bitterns – a type of heron extinct in the UK at the turn of the 20th century and famous for its booming call. In 1997, they were heading towards a second extinction, with only 11 booming males recorded in England.

Bitterns are one of the species that have benefitted from protection and resources made available under the EU Nature Directives in the form of special protection areas and EU funding for conservation, which have been central to some of the UK's biggest wildlife success stories. This year, 150 booming males were counted in England and Wales, more than at any time since the early 1800s.

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Keep your eyes peeled for these birds urge ornithologists

06:30Thursday 10 December 2015

Puffins, turtle doves and pochard (a duck) are among 11 bird species which have been classified as vulnerable by the world’s leading international conservation organisation.

Inclusion in the ‘red list’ produced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a sign that a species is heading towards extinction.

‘Survey work undertaken by Manx BirdLife and other wildlife charities, in addition to birdwatchers’ reported sightings, is crucial in highlighting declines in order for conservation action to be taken,’ said Manx BirdLife chief operating officer Dora Querido.

‘The data people submit through our Garden Birdwatch scheme and general sightings hold importance in the long term at a higher level, for which we are very grateful.

‘The other eight bird species relevant to the Isle of Man that are also causing concern are redwing and bar-tailed godwit which winter on the island, knot, a passage migrant, plus eider, razorbill, oystercatcher, lapwing and meadow pipit all of which are breeding species regularly recorded on yearly surveys.

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2015 Red List - vultures, shorebirds and other iconic species

By Adrian Long, Thu, 29/10/2015 - 00:02

The plight of Africa's Vultures is big news for the 2015 Red List update, but a number of other important changes also grab the attention this year.

Worldwide, 40 more bird species are now classified as having a higher risk of extinction in the 2015 Red List. Besides the vultures, these include many wading shorebirds, and other iconic species like Helmeted Hornbill, Swift Parrot, Atlantic Puffin, and European Turtle-dove.

Conversely, 23 species of birds have been downgraded to lower threat categories. In some cases, this reflects a better understanding of how they are faring, but some species have undergone remarkable recoveries as a result of conservation action, including Seychelles Warbler and Chatham Petrel.

Read more …

One in every five new endangered bird species in the world, is Indian

NIHAR GOKHALE@nihargokhale

|30 October 2015

Eight birds from India have become more vulnerable to extinction in just the last year. This was revealed in the latest "red list" of species nearing extinction prepared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The list is published every year.

Read on …

8 species of Indian birds added to endangered list

TNN | Jul 26, 2014, 11.40PM IST

Times News Network

Mumbai: Eight species of Indian birds have been added to the endangered list owing to relentless habitat destruction.The latest International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) "red list" (2014) shows that a total of 173 bird species in the country are now threatened. The list is based on studies conducted by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and BirdLife International (UK).

The eight species of birds newly added to the list include Woolly-necked Stork, Andaman Teal (both uplisted from least concern to vulnerable), Andaman Green Pigeon, Ashy-headed Green Pigeon, Red-headed Falcon, Himalayan Griffon, Bearded Vulture and Yunnan Nuthatch (all uplisted from least concern to near threatened). When a species is "uplisted", it means that it has moved up on the threatened ladder, deeper into the danger zone, said a BNHS release.

Continued

INFOGRAPHIC: PHL is home to the world's two most endangered hornbill species

April 5, 2013 3:00pm

Of the 600 species of birds found in the Philippines, two hornbill species are in the critically endangered category of the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list for wild species, which means they are at the highest risk of extinction.

The Sulu Hornbill (Anthracoceros montani) is the rarer of the two, with an estimated population of only 40 individuals scattered in the forests of Tawi-Tawi and other islands in the Sulu archipelago, according to the global conservation partnership Bird Life International.

sulu hornbill

rufous-headed hornbill

The Rufous-headed Hornbill (Aceros waldeni) has higher numbers, between 1,500 to 3,749 individuals found in the mountains of Negros and Panay in Western Visayas, the group said.

According to the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP), the destruction of forests for agriculture and logging are the biggest threats to the country's 10 species of hornbills, which are all endemic to the archipelago.

Efforts to raise public awareness and discuss the plight of the bird species are the main agenda when ornithologists, conservationists, bird watchers, environmentalists and students come together in Makati from April 24 to 26 for the 6th International Hornbill Conference.

The meeting will open with an exhibit at the Ayala Museum, and a soft launch of the book "Hornbills of the World." The keynote speakers include Hornbill Research Foundation founder Dr. Pilai Poonswad, and Dr. Juan Carlos Gonzalez of the University of the Philippines.

According to the organizers, the conference is a crucial one for the Philippines, which recorded the first known hornbill extinction--the Ticao Tarictic, a subspecies of the Visayan Hornbill found in Ticao Island in Masbate -- among the world's 57 hornbill species.

“It was abundant in the early 1900s but recent surveys have found no evidence of its persistence, and little suitable habitat,” according to Bird Life International.

Three other hornbill species are on the IUCN red list: the Mindoro Hornbill and Visayan Hornbill are listed as endangered, while the Palawan Hornbill is listed as vulnerable.

"Hornbills need primary or well-developed secondary forests to thrive, and like most endemic wildlife, cannot survive in deforested areas or man-made plantations," WBCP said.

The birds are also threatened by hunting, trapping, and nest poaching for food, as well as the illegal pet trade and sport. The group noted that the weak enforcement of environmental conservation measures also contributes to the decline in the local hornbill population. – Amanda Lago/YA, GMA News

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/302547/scitech/science/infographic-phl-is-home-to-the-world-s-two-most-endangered-hornbill-species