The beauty and behavior of birds has fascinated people throughout mankind’s history. The earliest known artistic depiction of a bird can be found in the Lascaux Caves of France: a picture of a bird-headed man dating back to 15,000-10,000 BC. Horus, a deity worshipped by the ancient Egyptians, was shown either as a falcon or a man with a falcon’s head. Chinese painters used birds as a favored subject; the Chinese emperor Zhao Ji specialized in painting realistic portraits of birds.
Native Americans often pictured ravens and eagles in their art. Birds are frequently featured in countries’ postage stamps and they have been the subject of cartoons (for example, the roadrunner, crow and woodpecker) and children’s TV shows (Big Bird on Sesame Street). Modern countries use birds as symbols of national power or unity, such as the Bald Eagle in the United States.
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From left clockwise, bird stamps from the Faroe Islands, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Kyrgyzstan and Romania
Today, humans’ love of birds is often expressed through bird watching; groups devoted to this past-time exist in countries around the world. Unfortunately, BirdLife International, which conducted the research for the IUCN Red List, found that currently 1,313 bird species (13% of 9,934 still existing species) are classified as globally threatened with extinction. They include: habitat degradation and deforestation; conversion of habitats, for example, for construction, plantations and agriculture; human-induced climate change; environmental pollution; widespread use of pesticides; predation and sickness by non-native species; trapping for the bird trade; and bycatch of seabirds in fishery operations.
On a brighter note, as more birds come under threat of extinction, there are also groups working to rescue endangered populations. The BirdLife Preventing Extinctions Programme operates through a global network of independent nature conservation organizations in over 100 countries. They are appointing individuals and organizations to act as Species Guardians for each threatened species.
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The African penguin (Spheniscus demersus), also known as the black-footed and Jackass penguin, lives only near the ocean in Namibia and South Africa. It was one of the bird species that Linnaeus described in 1758. These birds have a black stripe and black spots on the chest; their spot patterns are unique, as is the case for human fingerprints. Pink glands above their eyes aid in thermoregulation. As the bird becomes warmer, more blood is sent to these glands so it may be cooled by the surrounding air; this makes the glands pinker in color.
These penguins established two colonies near Cape Town, South Africa, and one of them has become a tourist attraction. The birds will allow people to approach as close as a meter but touching the penguins is prohibited.
This species is classified by the IUCN as endangered because of very rapid population declines, which are likely related to commercial fishing and shifts in their prey populations. Other threats include oil pollution, degradation of breeding habitats, and predation by cats on Robben Island and Cape fur seals.
The Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation is collaborating with South African and international partners to establish new penguin colonies closer to fish stocks. The program includes research on breeding habits and hand-rearing of abandoned chicks by the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB). Another organization involved in conservation efforts is the Penguin Conservation Centre, which is known for its success in rescuing and rehabilitating birds affected by oil spills.
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The Bahia Tapaculo (Eleoscytalopus psychopompus) is a critically endangered species found in the lowland Atlantic forests of Bahia, Brazil. It was feared to be extinct, but was recently discovered anew in several municipalities. It inhabits the undergrowth of mature lowland forests, often being found in thickets near small streams. This small bird has a variety of calls, one of which is similar to a frog-like sound. It is a very shy bird and difficult to find in surveys. However, since the species’ song has been recognized, playback has enabled people to discover it at various sites.
Conservation efforts are underway in the Michelin Ecological Reserve. The employment of four forest guards has helped reduce hunting pressure significantly, stop forest clearing and aided in documentation of the species. Research begun in 2011 is focusing on the birds’ distribution and ecology within and around the reserve.
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New Caledonia is home to the kagu (Rhynochetos jubatus), a nearly flightless bird. It has pale gray plumage, bright red legs and hunts its prey, including worms, insect, snails and lizards, on or near the ground. Both parents share incubation of single egg in a nest on the forest floor, as both participate in rearing the chick. When safe from threats, this endangered bird can live up to 20 years in the wild, as shown by radio-tracking.
Threats to the kagu include predation by dogs; newborn chicks fall prey to rats and cats. They are also losing habitat through mining, logging and fires. Conservation efforts include controlling hunting dogs. Some birds have been bred in captivity and reintroduced into protected areas. In 2008, the Société Calédonienne d'Ornithologie (Caledonian Ornithological Society) developed a Kagu Species Action Plan for the period 2009-2020. Scientists are planning to monitor populations and conservation projects are planned where important sub-populations can be protected. Calls have also been made to intensify public awareness programs and education about kagu conservation as well as on responsible dog ownership.
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The greater prairie chicken, also known as the pinnated grouse, is a medium-sized, stocky bird that lives in prairie lands of North America. There were three sub-species; the heath hen (Tympanuchus cupido cupido) became extinct in 1932. The endangered Attwater’s prairie chicken (Tympanuchus cupido attwater) is now only found in small areas of Texas. The greater prairie chicken sub-species Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus is largely found in the central United States; the species was declared extinct in Canada in 2000.
These birds’ short dark tails are typically rounded. Adult males have orange comb-like feathers over their eyes and dark, elongated head feathers that can be raised. They also have a circular neck patch which they can inflate when trying to attract females at breeding grounds, which are known as leks or booming grounds after the sound the males make at this time. Their spectacular displays led to a Native American Crow tribe legend that Old Man Coyote made the prairie chicken show the other animals how to dance; today, prairie chicken festivals during breeding season are held in several states so that people can bird watch at the leks.
The male prairie-chickens stay on the booming grounds to display from late March throughout April each year. The one or two most dominant males enjoy about 90% of the mating. After mating, females move about a mile away to build their nests. Research has shown that hens avoid nesting or rearing broods near rural farms, communication towers, power lines and improved roads.
At one time, millions of these birds were widespread across the oak savanna and tall grass prairie ecosystems of Canada and the United States, but by the 1930s, they had become almost extinct due to hunting and habitat loss. The pinnatus sub-species is threatened in many areas, although hunting of this bird is still allowed in four states. Another threat to their survival is loss of genetic variance because populations are isolated with no natural corridors between groups.
The Missouri Department of Conservation has issued guidance to farmers on how they can manage grasslands to attract the prairie chicken. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reintroduced prairie chickens to Iowa twice in the 1980s; one program failed but a wild-nesting population was established in another area, which later was designated as the Kellerton Grasslands Bird Conservation Area. The DNR is also involving the public in recording spotting of the birds to monitor their distribution. Another major conservation effort to preserve the greater prairie chicken is being undertaken at the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. The program includes captive breeding by several zoos for reintroduction to the wild, habitat management that includes planting of small food plots, and management of mammalian predators during the nesting season.
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The Mauritius Fody (Foudia rubra)is an endangered bird that resides on the island of Mauritius. A member of the weaver bird family, males and females cooperate in building nests. However, the Fody’s nests are raided by predators, including the black rat, crab-eating macaque and the common mynah (Acridotheres tristis). In the 1970s, these birds lost much of their habitat due to land clearing for plantations and by 2001, it was estimated that only about 108-122 breeding pairs remained.
Conservation efforts have included control of rats and, to some extent, macaques. The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Gerald Durrell Endemic Wildlife Sanctuary and National Parks and Conservation Service initiated a captive breeding program, which includes supplementary feeding and control of nest parasites. Surveys are being conducted for new translocation sites, in addition to a small island where a recovery and release program is showing success. The IUCN reclassified this species from critically endangered to endangered in 2009.
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Males and females of the Asian green peafowl (Pavo muticus) are similar in appearance, with both having long upper tail coverts that cover their actual tails. These coverts in males, which are decorated with eyespots, can extend up to two meters during breeding season. Their neck and breast feathers are iridescent green in color.
This bird species was uplisted by the IUCN from vulnerable to endangered in 2009. Degradation of habitat, reduced habitat areas and hunting for their feathers are their major threats and these birds are now no longer found in some areas. Hybridization with the Indian peafowl also constitutes a threat to the species. Sub-populations of green peafowl are surviving in protected areas such as Thailand’s Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, the Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam, and the Baluran National Park in Java, Indonesia.
This species is protected in China and also has refuge in the Xe Pian National Protected Area of Laos. In both countries, public awareness campaigns have been carried out on preserving these birds. The World Pheasant Association has worked with the Wildlife Department of Peninsular Malaysia to reintroduce the green peafowl, which had become extinct there as a result of extensive forest clearing for oil palm plantations and hunting of the birds for food.
Dedicated birders who live in areas where endangered birds are still found could contact local conservation groups to see if there are opportunities to contribute to projects and efforts to document and preserve species. It would be both a fun and worthwhile use of your time!