for the birds

[Guest guest]

Birds in decline across North America

 

Last week we heard that amphibians -- the alleged environmental

" canaries in the coal mine " -- are dying off in record numbers. But

what if birds, not amphibians, are the better environmental

indicators, as John Flicker of the National Audubon Society claims?

Well, then ... we're still hosed. According to a new report by the

group, close to 30 percent of bird species in North America are

experiencing a " significant decline. " By analyzing data on 654

species, collected from 1966 to 2003, the group discovered that 36

percent of shrub-land species are disappearing, along with 25 percent

of forest species, 23 percent of birds in urban areas, 13 percent in

wetlands, and a whopping 70 percent in North America's grasslands.

The primary culprit, the report says, is loss of habitat. It calls

for more habitat protections and increased preservation efforts by

private landowners and homeowners.

 

straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press,

John Heilprin, 19 Oct 2004

<http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=3379>