bye bye birdie

December 15, 2004

By the end of the century, 10 percent of all extant bird species may

be extinct, with another 15 percent on the brink, according to a

comprehensive new study. The analysis, reported in Proceedings of

the National Academy of Sciences, considered the fate of 9,787 living

bird species, modeling the effects of habitat loss, invasive species,

and climate change. The grim 10 percent figure is actually a

conservative estimate; the study's worst-case scenario bumps the

number up to about 17 percent, or one in six species. Birds, the

study authors stress, play unique roles in ecosystems and their loss

can have unexpected and devastating effects on humans, as when the

sharp decline of vulture species in India led to an increase in feral

dogs and rats (feeding on carcasses), which in turn yielded 30,000

cases of rabies in 1997 alone. " Birds are excellent environmental

indicators, " said Stuart Butchart of Birdlife International, " and

what they are telling us is that there is a fundamental malaise in

the way we treat our environment. "

straight to the source: USA Today, Dan Vergano, 13 Dec 2004

straight to the source: The Guardian, Tim Radford, 14 Dec 2004

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