In Europe one in five bird species is at risk of extinction
Environment — di Valentina Neri
Of the 544 bird species living in Europe, one in five is “threatened” or “near threatened”. Even crows and quails face the risk of extinction.
In Europe one in five bird species is at risk of extinction
Of the 544 bird species living in Europe, one in five is “threatened” or “near threatened”. Even crows and quails face the risk of extinction.
There is the Eurasian curlew (Numenius arquata), a migratory bird that favours marshes, estuaries and wetlands. There is the Iberian green woodpecker (Picus sharpei) which, as its name suggests, is native to Spain and Portugal. There is even the common quail (Coturnix coturnix). These are just some of the bird species officially declared at risk of extinction in the latest update to the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (Iucn). All told, of the 544 bird species living in Europe, one in five must be considered threatened or near threatened. The data were compiled by the international organisation Birdlife international.
What the Iucn Red List says about European birds
The Iucn Red List divides species into several categories. On one side we find those of least concern, for which the population is stable or increasing; on the other, those already extinct. In between these two extremes are all the species that are near threatened or threatened with extinction (the latter category itself comprising three subcategories: vulnerable, endangered and critically endangered).
For Europe, 544 bird species in total have been recorded. 71 are threatened and a further 34 are near threatened: adding these two categories together, therefore, amounts to saying that 19 per cent (roughly one in five) is at risk of extinction. Compared with the previous list from 2015, 84 bird species have changed status: 37 for the worse, while 47 are in better condition.
The reasons why so many birds risk disappearing from our skies? "Large-scale land-use change, the intensification of agricultural practices, infrastructure development, overexploitation of marine resources, pollution of watercourses and unsustainable yet commonly adopted forestry practices," the report reads. To these factors must be added the impact of climate change.
A major new report from BirdLife International, European Red List of Birds 2021, suggests that one in five species in Europe is at risk of extinction. Find out more: bit.ly/3j4RHm0
Which bird species we could be saying goodbye to
Bad news, for example, for the common eider (Somateria mollissima), a stocky sea duck with a large wedge-shaped bill that nests in the Arctic and winters along the northern coasts of Europe. Over six years it moved from vulnerable to endangered status, and the population is expected to crash by 50 per cent over three generations.
Joining the unenviable ranks of vulnerable species is the black-necked grebe (Podiceps nigricollis), an excellent swimmer and diver that favours vegetation-rich areas near lakes. In Russia and Ukraine, where three in ten European individuals collectively live, the population is declining by 35 per cent. The reasons have not been established with certainty, but the report cites — among others — agricultural activities that pollute waterways, human interference in natural habitat and declining rainfall.
The presence of the rook (Corvus frugilegus) among the vulnerable species may come as a surprise, given that it is also widespread in agricultural and suburban areas. Yet the European population is down 30 per cent, primarily because nesting sites are being destroyed.