8 bird species confirmed extinct in just a decade

Several studies in recent months have sounded the alarm: the situation of birds is worrying. And, unfortunately, more bad news was announced: eight species of birds have disappeared in a decade.

Eight species of birds have disappeared in a decade

You probably know the animated children’s film Riofeaturing Spix’s macaws. This Brazilian blue parrot is considered officially extinct on Earth, according to a study of 51 species endangered birdsproduced by BirdLife International(1).

But unfortunately it is not alone: ​​in total, eight species have disappeared during the last decade alone, including the Masked Poo-uli (Melamprosops phaeosomaa species of passerine also called black-faced honeybird), the Moore Owl (Glaucidium moorei), the Anabate of Alagoas or foliage-glaner of Alagoas (Philydor novaesi) and the Cryptic treehunter (Cichlocolaptes mazarbarnetti), the Glaucous Macaw (Anodorhynchus glaucus)…

And the person responsible is none other than the man. Indeed, historically, most bird extinctions were of species vulnerable to hunting or invasive species, but five of these new extinctions took place in South America and are attributed by scientists to deforestation. Pour Stuart Butchart, scientific manager of BirdLife Internationalthis new study highlights that an extinction crisis is taking place on major continents, driven by the destruction of the habitat of these animals by humans.

Read also: After the bees, the frightening decline of birds in our countryside!

Extinctions due to unsustainable agriculture, land drainage and logging

The researcher explains: “ When people think of animal extinctions, they think of the dodo, but our analysis shows that extinctions are indeed continuing and accelerating today. “. He cites various causes at the origin of these disappearances of birds: « unsustainable agriculture, drainage and logging. » A “red list” of more than 26,000 species now threatened has been drawn up by scientists, who wish to warn that humans are at the origin of a sixth great extinction.

And the situation is just as critical in France. researchers from National Museum of Natural History had alerted: “ The decline of birds in agricultural areas is accelerating and reaching a level close to ecological disaster “. The latter have been monitoring the populations of different species of birds typical of the French countryside since the 1990s, as part of the STOC program (Temporal Monitoring of Common Birds).

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