"Birds are in trouble. In the United States alone, one-third of bird species are rated as of high or moderate conservation concern. North American forests have lost more than one billion birds in the past half-century. A 2019 study found that grassland bird populations have declined by 53%, and 90% of those losses come from just 12 of the most common avian families, including sparrows, blackbirds and finches ( K. V. Rosenberg et al. Science 366, 120-124; 2019)."
"Weidensaul begins the book with the bad news, by taking the reader through a history of escalating threats to birds. Sports hunting of raptors such as eagles and falcons and the shooting of many species for their plumage, used to adorn hats in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, decimated bird populations and drove many species close to extinction. Through legislation, some destructive practices were banned and bird populations began to rebound slowly."
"But a larger threat loomed: habitat destruction. Coastal development has robbed shorebirds of their nesting grounds, and the destruction of marshes, mudflats and other wetlands has deprived waterfowl of the places where they foraged. Millions of acres of grassland have been converted to agriculture, all but eliminating the n"
Birds face major declines, with one-third of U.S. species rated as high or moderate conservation concern. North American forests have lost more than one billion birds in the past half-century, and grassland bird populations have fallen by 53%, with most losses concentrated in a small set of common families. Past threats included sports hunting of raptors and shooting birds for plumage, which drove many species near extinction. Legislation reduced some harmful practices and allowed slow rebounds. Habitat destruction has become the larger threat, including coastal development removing nesting grounds, wetland loss eliminating foraging areas, and grassland conversion to agriculture reducing habitat for many species.
#bird-conservation #habitat-loss #north-american-ecology #wildlife-legislation #grassland-and-wetland-ecosystems
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