Wild birds rescued from Empress Market

KARACHI: 

At least 10 wild birds of different species were confiscated by the Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) from Empress Market on Wednesday. Officials from the department later released the birds in their habitats.

SWD game inspector Azeem Kachhelo told The Express Tribune that their team seized 10 birds, including two barn owls, five seagulls and three falcons from the market during a routine visit. “The poacher managed to escape when we reached the spot,” he added.

“The trade of wild birds is completely banned,” said the official, adding that those involved in the illegal trade knew that the provincial government had imposed a ban on the sale and purchase of all such birds. “The poachers know they cannot sell trapped birds so easily.”

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Ancient Egyptians gathered birds from the wild for sacrifice and mummification

DNA study rejects the idea that Egyptians domesticated sacred ibis for ritual use

Date: November 13, 2019

Source: PLOS

In ancient Egypt, Sacred Ibises were collected from their natural habitats to be ritually sacrificed, according to a study released November 13, 2019 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Sally Wasef of Griffith University, Australia and colleagues.

Egyptian catacombs are famously filled with the mummified bodies of Sacred Ibises. Between around 664BC and 250AD, it was common practice for the birds to be sacrificed, or much more rarely worshipped in ritual service to the god Thoth, and subsequently mummified. In ancient sites across Egypt, these mummified birds are stacked floor to ceiling along kilometers of catacombs, totaling many millions of birds. But how the Egyptians got access to so many birds has been a mystery; some ancient texts indicate that long-term farming and domestication may have been employed.

In this study, Wasef and colleagues collected DNA from 40 mummified Sacred Ibis specimens from six Egyptian catacombs dating to around 2500 years ago and 26 modern specimens from across Africa. 14 of the mummies and all of the modern specimens yielded complete mitochondrial genome sequences. These data allowed the researchers to compare genetic diversity between wild populations and the sacrificed collections.

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Controversial insecticides shown to threaten survival of wild birds

Date: September 12, 2019

Source: University of Saskatchewan

New research at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) shows how the world's most widely used insecticides could be partly responsible for a dramatic decline in songbird populations.

A study published in the journal Science on Sept. 13 is the first experiment to track the effects of a neonicotinoid pesticide on birds in the wild.

The study found that white-crowned sparrows who consumed small doses of an insecticide called imidacloprid suffered weight loss and delays to their migration -- effects that could severely harm the birds' chances of surviving and reproducing.

"We saw these effects using doses well within the range of what a bird could realistically consume in the wild -- equivalent to eating just a few treated seeds," said Margaret Eng, a post-doctoral fellow in the USask Toxicology Centre and lead author on the study.

Eng's collaborators on the research were biologist Bridget Stutchbury of York University and Christy Morrissey, an ecotoxicologist in the USask College of Arts and Science and the School of Environment and Sustainability.

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Report reveals number of wild birds that were killed lawfully by hunters in Europe

Wednesday, March 06, 2019 - 01:34 PM

A report has found that more than 52 million wild birds are being killed lawfully by hunters in Europe each year.

The study provides data on 82 species of wild bird which may be legally hunted.

The research paper, which has been compiled by staff from the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) is a follow-up to a report which was first conducted back in 2005.

It makes official hunting statistics from 24 EU member states plus Switzerland and Norway available publicly for the first time.

The authors point out that despite a long-term decrease in the gross number of killings compared with older data, the bag figures for certain migratory species, such as Common Pochard, Northern Lapwing, Turtle Dove and Skylark, remain high in proportion to their declining populations Europe.

Against a backdrop of declining populations of many affected species, hunting pressures are undermining conservation efforts undertaken for these species in other countries.

"The hunting of birds with rapidly declining populations is not sustainable and therefore is a clear breach of the European Birds Directive", CABS Conservation Officer Geraldine Attard, who is one of the authors of the study, concluded.

Birds killed lawfully in Europe

1,607,964 Quails,

1,455,208 Turtle Doves,

973,414 Woodcocks,

898,958 Skylarks

522,253 Teal,

205,577 Snipe,

107,802 Lapwings,

The report is published this week in the journal British Birds.

Source

Massive wild bird seizures reflect soaring pressure on Sumatran birds

07/12/2018

The seizure of over 8,000 birds in three incidents over a 10-day period highlights the large-scale extraction of birds from the wilds of Sumatra in order to feed Indonesia's chronic and unsustainable demand for caged birds.

All the birds confiscated by Indonesia's Agricultural Quarantine Agency had originated from Sumatra and were destined for sale in Java, which is home to the largest bird markets in South-East Asia and supports a thriving illegal trade in wild-caught songbirds.

On 27 November, Cilegon quarantine officers working with Indonesian NGO, FLIGHT, seized 2,140 birds found on a truck at Merak port on the north-west tip of Java. 

Just 10 days prior, the same quarantine office confiscated 4,851 birds packed into boxes from a truck in Kota Serang, the westernmost province on Java. The consignment originated in Lampung, a province in the southernmost tip of Sumatra, and was headed for several locations in Java.

In operations from 21-23 November, Bandar Lampung quarantine officers seized a further 1,536 birds, which had been stuffed into dozens of plastic crates in the luggage compartment of a bus at Bakauheni Port in southern Sumatra.

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Man, 39, trapped wild birds by putting super-strong glue on feeders in his garden so he could keep them in cages in his house

Police raided home of Julius Gadzor in Kent after tip off from the RSPCA

They found wild birds trapped in cages and feeder and branch smeared in glue

Gadzor has avoided jail after an unusual prosecution for keeping wild birds 

By RICHARD SPILLETT, CRIME CORRESPONDENT FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 12:16, 19 November 2018 | UPDATED: 13:25, 19 November 2018

A 'cruel' man who put strong glue on a nut feeder and tree branch so he could catch garden birds to keep in his home has avoided jail.

Julius Gadzor, of Gravesend, Kent, covered the feeder with rat glue before showing off the wild finches in cages in his home.

The 39-year-old was charged with the unusual crimes of possessing wild birds, using bird lime and possessing items used for trapping birds after an investigation by Kent Police and the RSPCA. 

Julian Gadzor was prosecuted after using strong glue to catch wild birds for his home

Photos from his Facebook show the many cages, some tiny, which he used to house the birds

Gadzor's Facebook page, which claims he went to school in Slovakia, shows he was not afraid of showing off the wild finches and other colourful garden birds he caught.

In one photo, he wrote: 'My wall hahaha', next to the picture of 12 birds in eight cages. It is unclear however whether the birds pictured are those he trapped.

Another photo shows a greenfinch, common in many British gardens, in a cage.

Police today released photos of the branch and feeder which Gadzor had put glue on to catch the birds. 

Gadzor was given a 28-day curfew order when he appeared at Medway Magistrates' Court last Monday, and also ordered to pay £300 in costs and a £85 victim surcharge. 

Source 

8 species of birds have possibly gone extinct over past few decades

by Mongabay.com on 6 September 2018

A new study has found that eight species of birds are likely to have completely disappeared in the past couple of decades.

Researchers recommend that three species currently listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List be reclassified as extinct, while one be treated as extinct in the wild.

Four more bird species are dangerously close to extinction, if not already there, and should be re-classified as critically endangered (possibly extinct), researchers say.

Eight species of birds may have completely disappeared over the past couple of decades, a new study has found. Among these is the Spix’s macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii), a bird that inspired the character of Blu in the 2011 animated film Rio. Found only in Brazil, the bird has not seen in the wild since 2000.

Like the Spix’s macaw, several other bird species are believed to have become extinct in recent years. To pinpoint the ones that may already be gone, researchers from BirdLife International, a global partnership of conservation organizations focusing on bird conservation, looked at 51 species of birds with a “reasonable possibility of being extinct.” These are species that have either not been seen in the wild for more than 10 years despite exhaustive surveys, or species that have been seen within the last 10 years, but whose tiny population has suffered well-documented decline.

Stuart Butchart, BirdLife’s chief scientist, and his colleagues used a new statistical approach to arrive at the probability of extinction for the 51 species by combining information on the intensity of threats to the bird species, timing and reliability of records for the species, as well as timing and quality of efforts made to survey the species.

Based on their results, the researchers recommend that three species currently listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List be reclassified as extinct. These include the cryptic treehunter (Cichlocolaptes mazarbarnetti), last seen in the wild in 2007; the Alagoas foliage-gleaner (Philydor novaesi), not seen in the wild since 2011; and the poʻo-uli (Melamprosops phaeosoma), not seen since 2004. The Spix’s macaw, which has some individuals surviving in captivity, should be reclassified as extinct in the wild, the researchers say in the study published in Biological Conservation.

Read on  

Lack of wild birds in Delhi hint at a serious problem in health of region's ecosystem

Bird lovers are now venturing farther to Haryana's pristine Dighal and Yamunanagar wetlands, which are still unspoilt by development.

Baishali Adak | Posted by Christopher Gonsalves

New Delhi, January 1, 2018 | UPDATED 11:06 IST

Exotic wild birds are being sighted farther away from Delhi-NCR as the region's own wetlands shrink into nothing. This stands true for Haryana's Sultanpur and Basai, Uttar Pradesh's Surajpur and Dadri, and Delhi's own Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Sanjay Jheel and Yamuna Khadar - former rich habitats of winter-roosting avians.

Dr. Surya Prakash, a renowned biologist from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), indicated towards this in a retrospective of rare birds seen in Delhi and NCR in year 2017, on Sunday.

Wild birds are natural indicators of a healthy ecosystem. They thrive only in peaceful habitats and pollution-free environment.

Dr. Prakash said, "This year was good for birding primarily due to rains. Dhanauri wetlands in UP remained on top in number of birding trips being a 'Sarus crane paradise.' For many birders, Najafgarh jheel attracted due to its Greater flamingos and Common cranes."

"Birders enjoyed Sultanpur National Park (SNP) flats to witness Stoliczka's Bushchat's mesmerising 'puff-n-roll' display. Indian Pitta and Cuckoo Shrike showed up as usual at Mangar but the highlights were Jungle Bush Quail and Greater Rackettail drongo seen at SNP and Mangar forests each," he said.

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EU trade ban brings down global trade in wild birds by 90 percent

Date:  November 22, 2017

Source:  Faculty of Science - University of Copenhagen

Trade of wild birds has dropped about 90% globally since the EU banned bird imports in 2005. A study published in the journal Science Advances demonstrates how the EU's ban decreased the number of birds traded annually from about 1.3 million to 130,000. International trade of wild birds is a root cause of exotic birds spreading worldwide. The study was led by scientists from the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, University of Copenhagen and CIBIO-InBIO Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto.

Birds are the most traded animals in the world. Historically, Europe has been the main importer of wild birds globally. Before 2005, when the EU banned trade of wild birds, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain accounted for the import of two thirds of all wild birds sold on the global market. The birds mainly came from West Africa, with 70% of exported birds coming from Guinea, Mali and Senegal. Diederik Strubbe from the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, University of Copenhagen, elaborates,

When wild birds are caught and sold to another country it has consequences in both areas. In the country the birds are captured, it can lead to biodiversity loss. Likewise, our study shows that international bird trade is a main cause of exotic birds spreading around the world. The birds can damage local ecosystems, destroy crops and outcompete local birds. The EU trade ban, and the following dramatic drop in the number of traded birds, has strongly reduced this risk across most of the globe.

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Proposed change to law on possession of wild bird eggs

By Gavin Stamp

Political reporter, BBC News

29 January 2016

The UK and Welsh governments are backing a change to the law on the possession of wild bird eggs.

They say anyone able to prove their eggs were taken from the wild before 1981 should not be prosecuted.

The law was changed in 2004 to require proof that eggs were taken before 1954 but this was ruled unlawful because of a lack of consultation.

Ministers say reinstating the so-called "pre-1981 defence" against liability would be a proportionate step.

Officials said "clarifying" the law in England and Wales would have the effect of focusing resources on prosecuting those currently collecting and trading eggs rather than punishing people who have built up or inherited historical collections.

The move, it is hoped, will encourage those with collections of scientific value to hand them over to museums for research.

While the practice of collecting wild bird eggs is in decline, the two governments' joint consultation found that illegal activity was still going on and there was a need for legislation outlawing it - which first came into force in 1981 - to remain on the statute book.

Read on ...

How birds learn foreign languages

Biologists have succeeded in teaching wild birds to understand a new language

Date: July 16, 2015

Source: Australian National University

Biologists have succeeded in teaching wild birds to understand a new language. After only two days of training, fairy wrens learned to flee when they heard an alarm call that was foreign to them, showing that birds can learn to eavesdrop on the calls of other species.

The research, led by biologists at The Australian National University (ANU), could be used to help train captive animals to recognise signals of danger before they are released in to the wild.

"The first bird we tested lived on the ANU campus near my office. There was general disbelief and excitement when the bird learned the task perfectly," said the leader of the study, Professor Robert Magrath, from the ANU Research School of Biology.

"We had been doing experiments on learning using different methods, but until then with little success. So it was exciting to finally crack the practical problems of carrying out this experiment, and get clear results."

Many animals get information about danger by eavesdropping on each other, but how they do it has been an ongoing puzzle.

"Recognizing other species' calls is a remarkable ability, because there are lots of species in a natural community, and lots of different types of calls. It's like understanding multiple foreign languages," Professor Magrath said.

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Avian malaria also affects wild birds in Austria

Date:

February 10, 2015

Source:

University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna

Summary:

Avian malaria is not uncommon in Central Europe, as many endemic wild birds are infected with species of Plasmodium, which cause avian malaria. In most cases these blood parasites, transmitted by mosquitoes, do not produce any symptoms in endemic birds, as they have adapted to the parasites. A team of pathologists recently showed for the first time that native birds, too, are susceptible to avian malaria.

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'Wild birds may spread flu virus'

6 February 2015 Last updated at 04:02

By Helen BriggsEnvironment Correspondent

Migratory birds may be spreading viruses that cause bird flu around the world, say scientists.

Outbreaks in poultry may become more common in the future, especially in ill-prepared countries, they warn.

A severe strain found at a duck farm in the UK last year may have been carried by wild birds out of Russia, according to Dutch researchers.

The virus is a low human health risk, but wild birds on long migratory routes should be monitored, they say.

H5N8 is a strain of bird flu that appeared late last year in Russia, East Asia, North America and four European countries, including the UK.

The infections led to millions of poultry being culled.

In the UK, ducks were affected at a farm in Driffield, Yorkshire. Another outbreak of bird flu in Hampshire this week is of the H7N7 form of the virus, which is less severe.

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Thousands of wild birds imprisoned in shoplots

The question is not, “Can they reason?” nor, “Can they talk?” but rather, “Can they suffer?” - Jeremy Bentham.

Human are causing unnecessary trouble and distress towards animals which were created in this world. We do not have any reason for causing misery to the creatures which can’t express their feelings. We are the weak and cowardly creatures in this earth by troubling other living beings. For that reason the entire human race is suffering and fighting against each other. Karma will take revenge.

Recently, while I was teaching my brother how to drive a car, we went to a residential area where it was very quiet. That was my first time to enter that place. It was called Taman Jayamas phase 1, Jalan Tun Dr Ismail, Seremban. Negri Sembilan. When I passed by a shoplot, I heard terrific noises from birds which seemed like they were crying. It was a heartbreaking sound.

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Wild birds such as goldfinches and chaffinches caught with traps, nets and glue then sold in Kingsnorth, Ashford, and across Kent say police and RSPB

Wild birds are being snatched from gardens and fields across Kent before being sold illegally.

Goldfinches, chaffinches and other attractive small birds are being caught using traps, nets and GLUE in what police are describing as a network of organised crime.

PC Michael "Geordie" Laidlow from the police's rural partnership team is one of six Kent officers dedicated to dealing with wildlife, environmental and heritage crime.

He said: "The theft of wild birds seems to be on the increase throughout Kent. It's something we come across quite often. There are networks of thieves operating across the county – I would call it low-level organised crime.

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Influenza Virus in Wild Birds in Norway

Sep. 11, 2013 — Ducks and gulls are the natural hosts of influenza A virus. Ragnhild Tønnessen's PhD research project has characterised influenza A viruses in gulls and ducks in Norway. Her discoveries may lead to a better understanding of the epidemiology and host adaptation of influenza A virus.

Wild birds, particularly ducks and gulls, are the natural hosts for influenza A viruses which can cause disease in animals and humans. Influenza A viruses can be divided into subtypes, of which the majority have been found in wild birds. Most subtypes of influenza A virus cause subclinical infections in wild birds. Infections in domestic chickens most commonly result in mild disease. In rare cases, if introduced from wild birds to poultry, some viruses of the H5 and H7 subtypes mutate and become highly pathogenic. One example of this is the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus in Southeast Asia known to cause “bird flu”.

Due to the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus subtype H5N1 in Southeast Asia, a programme to monitor influenza viruses in wild birds in Norway was initiated in 2005. A large number of samples, gathered by hunters from ducks and gulls, were analysed at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute. Samples collected from Rogaland County in the South-West of Norway during the hunting seasons (August-December) of 2005-2007 and 2009-2010 were studied. The results showed that low pathogenic avian influenza viruses were present in 15.5% of the samples, and that the virus occurrence was higher in dabbling ducks than in gulls. The virus prevalence was lowest in December. Many different subtypes of the influenza A virus were detected, but not the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus.

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Is lead shot poisoning the UK's birds?

Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) has welcomed the Government's announcement to review the progress of the Lead Ammunition Group

January 2013. The Lead Ammunition Group was set up in 2010 in response to urgent concerns about the toxic effects of ammunition made of lead, which is a poisonous substance to all forms of life. Most lead shot misses its target and falls to the ground where it can be ingested by several species of birds including swans, ducks and geese who mistake it for food or the grit they use to grind food.

8% of dead wild birds killed by lead poisoning

WWT research has found that 1 in 3 wild birds sampled suffer from lead poisoning, and that it was the cause of death for 1 in 12 dead wild birds sampled.

Environment Minister Lord De Mauley, answering a written question, told the House of Lords "the (Lead Ammunition) group has agreed to provide a report to Ministers in April 2013 and Defra will review the progress of the group at this stage".

"Lead is a poison"
WWT Chief Executive Martin Spray said: "Lead is a poison, yet we still allow thousands of tons of it to be spread across our countryside. Thousands of birds suffer and die from ingesting lead shot left on the ground.

"The Lead Ammunition Group's work is crucial in assessing the damage caused to wildlife and people by lead shot. It was set up in response to an urgent request in 2010 and there is a danger that, with still no sign of a final report, the group could be seen to be moving too slowly while wildlife continues to suffer and die. The group's commitment to publishing an interim report in April sends a strong signal that it is getting on with the job, and I welcome the Government's decision to review the group's progress thereafter".

Wildlife Extra wonders if birds would be better off if those wielding the guns were better shots?

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/lead-shot-uk.html

New homes could see £20 million a year boost to wild bird conservation

Could the proposed new plans to build an additional 2 million homes over the next 20 years be a major boost to conservation of Britain’s wild birds? Surveys have shown that 70% of people with gardens will do something active to help wildlife. So with another 2 million homes that’s an additional 1.4 million households actively supporting wildlife.

The biggest action taken by people with gardens is feeding wildlife birds. Surveys have shown that between 60% and 70% of households with gardens will feed wild birds regularly.  A recent survey has shown that the UK bird food market is valued at £200 million a year. We can break that down to households pretty easily.

In the UK there is estimated to be 25 million homes, 20% of which are flats and apartments. While some flats will have gardens most will not – but then not all houses being built now have gardens either so we can assume they will cancel each other out. That leaves 20 million homes with gardens. With 70% of households feeding birds we can divide the £200 million by the 14 million households that feed birds. This means each home is spending £14.28 a year on bird feeding.  Personally I think this is an underestimate as I used to spend this amount each month not each year. But we’ll stick with this £14.28 a year figure.

Continued:  http://wildlifenews.co.uk/2012/new-homes-could-see-20-million-a-year-boost-to-wild-bird-conservation/

Did wild birds cause the 2010 deadly West Nile virus outbreak in Greece?

In 2010, 35 people in Greece died from a West Nile virus (WNV) outbreak, with a further 262 laboratory-confirmed human cases. A new article published in BioMedCentral's open access journal Virology Journal examines whether wild or migratory birds could have been responsible for importing and amplifying the deadly virus.

WNV is a flavivirus of major public health concern, spread through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Discovered in Uganda in 1937, it was only sporadically reported up until the 1990s, after which disease outbreaks were reported world-over, leading to WNV being given epidemic status. Studies have shown that humans infected with WNV do not have viremia levels high enough to infect new mosquitoes and hence pass on the virus. Birds, however, do develop viremia levels sufficient to infect mosquitoes, hence serving as amplifying hosts for WNV.

In order to investigate whether wild birds were exposed to WNV prior to the 2010 outbreak in Greece, Charalambos Billinis and his co-authors tested serum and tissue samples from 295 resident and migratory wild birds harvested by hunters prior to and during the outbreak. These samples were collected for the purposes of the authors' participation in an FP7 EU wildlife diseases research project ("WildTech"). All sampling sites were in flying distance for avian species. Using immunofluorescence assays and virus neutralization tests to analyze samples for the presence of WNV-specific antibodies, the authors found 53 avian samples with WNV neutralizing antibodies. Importantly, 14 positive serum samples were obtained from birds up to 8 months prior to the human outbreak, and genetic determinants of increased virulence were present in these samples.

Source: BioMed Central

Continued:  http://www.sciencecodex.com/did_wild_birds_cause_the_2010_deadly_west_nile_virus_outbreak_in_greece-101827

Ban on capture of wild birds should have stayed

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) notes with grave concern and strongly opposes the lifting of an eight year ban on the capture of wild birds by the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan).

The key question is whether Perhilitan has seriously considered the five factors to determine if delisting the birds is appropriate namely: threats to or actual destruction of the habitat needed by the bird species; threats from the over-use of these songbird species for commercial trade and pet purposes; threats from disease and predation; the amount of protection of the species or its habitat provided by other laws and regulations; and any other man made factors affecting the continued existence of these bird species.

It would be disastrous if there were no re-evaluation of the species in terms of these five factors.

This re-evaluation should include an assessment of whether these factors are likely to increase or re-endanger the species that are being delisted.

Read on:  http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/209330