Birds of Prey in Decline with Loss of Habitat
2021-09-07
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1Birds of prey, also known as raptors, are species of birds that feed almost entirely on meat that they hunt.
2A new report shows that these birds are dropping in number worldwide.
3Researchers from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and BirdLife International studied 557 raptor species.
4They found that 167 of the bird species are considered near threatened, vulnerable or endangered or critically endangered.
5Their study also reported that 18 species are critically endangered, including the Philippine eagle, the hooded vulture and the Annobon scops owl.
6Gerardo Ceballos is a bird scientist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
7He was one of the writers of the study, which appeared earlier this month in the publication Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
8He noted that other species are in danger of becoming locally extinct in some areas of the world.
9That means they may no longer play important parts as top hunters in those environments.
10"The golden eagle is the national bird of Mexico, but we have very few golden eagles left in Mexico," he said.
11A 2016 study estimated only about 200 remain in the country.
12Harpy eagles were once widespread throughout southern Mexico and Central and South America.
13But tree cutting and burning has greatly decreased their range.
14The study found that 54 percent of threatened birds of prey that are active mostly during the day - including most hawks, eagles and vultures -were falling in population.
15The same was true for 47 percent of threatened raptors active mostly at night, such as owls.
16Evan Buechley is a researcher at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and a scientist at nonprofit HawkWatch International.
17He was not involved in the study.
18He said the biggest threats to birds of prey are habitat loss, climate change and poisonous substances.
19The insect-killing substance DDT thinned eggshells and destroyed bald eagle populations in North America, leading to its ban in the U.S. in 1972.
20But Buechley said other threats remain, including rodent-killing substances and the lead in hunters' ammunition.
21Many raptors feed on rodents and dead animals.
22Widespread use of a drug used in farm animals led to the fast decline of vultures in South Asia.
23The birds died after eating animal remains, which decreased the population of some species by 95 percent in recent decades.
24In East Asia, many raptor species reproduce in northern China, Mongolia or Russia.
25They then travel down the eastern coast of China to spend summers in Southeast Asia or India.
26"Certain areas of the coast will see 30 to 40 species during peak migration," said Yang Liu.
27He is an ecologist at Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou and was not involved in the study.
28He said that areas with thousands of birds passing through them "are important to protect."
29Stuart Butchart is chief scientist at BirdLife International in Britain.
30He said that most of the 4,200 areas identified by conservation groups as critical for raptor species worldwide "are unprotected or only partly covered by protected areas."
31A 2018 study in the publication Biological Conservation found that 52 percent of all raptor species worldwide are decreasing in population.
32I'm Jonathan Evans.
1Birds of prey, also known as raptors, are species of birds that feed almost entirely on meat that they hunt. A new report shows that these birds are dropping in number worldwide. 2Researchers from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and BirdLife International studied 557 raptor species. They found that 167 of the bird species are considered near threatened, vulnerable or endangered or critically endangered. Their study also reported that 18 species are critically endangered, including the Philippine eagle, the hooded vulture and the Annobon scops owl. 3Gerardo Ceballos is a bird scientist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. He was one of the writers of the study, which appeared earlier this month in the publication Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He noted that other species are in danger of becoming locally extinct in some areas of the world. That means they may no longer play important parts as top hunters in those environments. 4"The golden eagle is the national bird of Mexico, but we have very few golden eagles left in Mexico," he said. A 2016 study estimated only about 200 remain in the country. 5Harpy eagles were once widespread throughout southern Mexico and Central and South America. But tree cutting and burning has greatly decreased their range. 6The study found that 54 percent of threatened birds of prey that are active mostly during the day - including most hawks, eagles and vultures -were falling in population. The same was true for 47 percent of threatened raptors active mostly at night, such as owls. 7Evan Buechley is a researcher at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and a scientist at nonprofit HawkWatch International. He was not involved in the study. He said the biggest threats to birds of prey are habitat loss, climate change and poisonous substances. 8The insect-killing substance DDT thinned eggshells and destroyed bald eagle populations in North America, leading to its ban in the U.S. in 1972. But Buechley said other threats remain, including rodent-killing substances and the lead in hunters' ammunition. 9Many raptors feed on rodents and dead animals. 10Widespread use of a drug used in farm animals led to the fast decline of vultures in South Asia. The birds died after eating animal remains, which decreased the population of some species by 95 percent in recent decades. 11In East Asia, many raptor species reproduce in northern China, Mongolia or Russia. They then travel down the eastern coast of China to spend summers in Southeast Asia or India. 12"Certain areas of the coast will see 30 to 40 species during peak migration," said Yang Liu. He is an ecologist at Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou and was not involved in the study. 13He said that areas with thousands of birds passing through them "are important to protect." 14Stuart Butchart is chief scientist at BirdLife International in Britain. He said that most of the 4,200 areas identified by conservation groups as critical for raptor species worldwide "are unprotected or only partly covered by protected areas." 15A 2018 study in the publication Biological Conservation found that 52 percent of all raptor species worldwide are decreasing in population. 16I'm Jonathan Evans. 17Christina Larson reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jonathan Evans adapted this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 18_______________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20species - n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants; a group of related animals or plants that is smaller than a genus 21vulnerable - adj. open to attack, harm, or damage 22endangered - adj. close to becoming extinct 23extinct - adj. no longer existing 24range - n. the region throughout which a kind of organism or ecological community naturally lives or occurs 25habitat - n. the place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows 26rodent - n. a small animal such as a mouse, rat, squirrel, or beaver that has sharp front teeth 27decline - n. to become lower in amount or less in number