Thanks, Eric Ruff, for bringing this article to our attention. Over the lives of long-term residents in the Yarmouth area, we have also seen changes. Evening grosbeaks, grey jays, and boreal chickdees used to be common winter birds, but cardinals and turkey vultures were unheard-of. How times change.
Is some tropical areas, many of the large species (notable vultures) are fast-disappearing. Here is the tale of another recently-endangered species:
Big Birds Lose Out in a Crowded World
24 June 2011 – One of the world’s largest species of bird is on the brink of extinction according to the 2011 IUCN Red List for birds, just released by BirdLife International. The Great Indian Bustard Ardeotis nigriceps has been uplisted to Critically Endangered, the highest level of threat. Hunting, disturbance, and habitat loss and fragmentation have all conspired to reduce this magnificent species to perhaps as few as 250 individuals. Standing a metre in height and weighing in at nearly 15 kg, the Great Indian Bustard was once widespread across the grasslands of India and Pakistan but is now restricted to small and isolated fragments of remaining habitat.
“In an ever more crowded world, species that need lots of space, such as the Great Indian Bustard, are losing out. However, we are the ones who lose in the long run, as the services that nature provides us start to disappear,” said Dr Leon Bennun, BirdLife’s Director of Science and Policy. This year’s update brings the total number of threatened bird species to 1253, an alarming 12% of the world total.
What are Bustards? I have seen reference to them in writings about birds in Louisiana and wondered if they are still there.
They’re related to cranes and rails, but tend to be limited to Asia, Europe, and Africa.