Endangered Birds

Around the world, there are different species of endangered birds. This phenomenon is due to various causes; among these causes, we can mention global warming and poaching. Keep on reading and learn more about endangered bird species.

What Are the Endangered Birds Around the World?

Bird species have been especially affected by intensive agriculture and forest fires. In fact, in 2012 we had already seen more than a dozen bird species disappear.

Today, there are numerous species with less than a hundred specimens. This is worrying because many of them are indispensable for maintaining the balance of ecosystems. Here are some of them.

Helmeted Hornbill

 

The Helmeted Hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil) is a large bird native to Western Borneo. Its tail feathers are used by several Borneo and Malacca tribes. Its beak and skull are very valuable because it is used to make engravings. It is critically endangered.

Grey Crowned Crane

 

The Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) is a bird that lives in the African savannah, although it also lives in marshes. The fact that it appears on the Ugandan flag has not saved it from danger due to human activity.

Atlantic Puffin

 

The Antlatic Puffin or simply puffin (Fratercula arctica) is a species native to the Atlantic Ocean. Although it does not face a danger that can be considered high, its number has decreased due to marine pollution.

Bearded Vulture

 

The Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is a curious species of vulture that feeds on the bone marrow. To feed itself, it throws the bones from the height of its flight. Although it is abundant in Asia, in Europe it has been endangered by the consumption of toxins.

Shoebill

 

The Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) is a species of African bird that lives in extensive and inaccessible wetlands. It is a large land bird with flexible legs, but very little is known about it. It has been seen in moderate danger due to the loss of natural territory.

Cantabrian Capercaillie

 

This Spanish endemic bird (Tetrao urogallus cantabricus) has been threatened due to grazing activities and parasites. Its population has been reduced considerably and it is considered to be critically endangered.

Galapagos Penguin

 

The Galapagos Penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) is the least densely populated penguin of all. It is endemic to Ecuador where it can live because of the cold currents of the South. Its decline is due to climatic phenomena and humans that make it difficult to feed and reproduce.

The Arica Hummingbird

 

The Arica Hummingbird (Eulidia yarrellii) is a species of hummingbird from Chile and Peru. This species has been extinct in Peru since the last century. It is currently threatened by fumigation and extensive agriculture which has supplanted the original vegetation.

Quetzal

 

The Central American Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) is a very colorful bird native to Mexico and Central America. Its name comes from the word “nahualt” that means “colorful tail”. Due to its attractive plumage, it is almost threatened according to IUCN because of its commercialization.

Kakapo

The Kakapo is one of the longest and heaviest birds in existence. Its scientific name is Strigops habroptilus. The Kakapo is the only nocturnal and terrestrial parrot. It is on the verge of extinction due to logging and the introduction of invasive species.

Takahe

 

The Takahe is a gruiform bird from New Zealand. Its reproduction and development are slow, it cannot fly. This has made it endangered, due to the introduction of invasive species, hunting, and habitat destruction.

The Hyacinth Macaw

 

The Hyacinth Macaw or Jacinto parrot (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) is an endemic bird of Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. They have been hunted for their large size and colorful plumage to be marketed as pets or for their feathers. There are no specimens in the wild.

 

The ground cuckoo (Carpococcyx viridis) is an endemic bird of Sumatra, Indonesia. It was thought extinct and could only be seen in museums with dissected specimens. In 1997 it was observed and photographed. It is critically endangered.

Akohekohe

The akohekohe (Palmeria dolei) is a bird that lived in the Hawaiian forests of Molokay until the beginning of the last century. Although it was thought extinct, a colony was found in Maui recently. The danger is due to logging and the introduction of non-endemic species.

Endangered Birds

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