Endangered Scarlet Macaws have established a breeding colony on the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The colony consists of macaws born in captivity at the ZooAve Center.
Read more about the program: Endangered parrots born in captivity reproduce in wild.
Earlier this month a flock of 3,000 Sociable Lapwings was discovered in Turkey. It was the largest flock of this endangered bird seen in over 100 years. The flock was discovered when BirdLIfe in Turkey followed a Lapwing that had been tagged in Kazakhstan.
Just a few years ago the total Sociable Lapwing population was thought to be as few as 400 individual birds. BirdLife partners in several different countries, including Syria, Kazakhstan and Turkey, have been working hard during the past few years to protect this species by preserving winter, summer and stopover sites for the migratory Sociable Lapwing.
The Black Grouse used to be a common sighting in the Dutch Veluwe natural area, but the bird has virtually died out there. The bird is only seen now in the Sallandse Heuvelrug, but there is a plan to reintroduce the bird to Gelderland.
Thirty Black Grouse (25 females and 5 males) were released in Gelderland earlier this month. The bird has declined in the Netherlands due to loss of heathland habitat.
A recent report reveals that Turtle Dove numbers are down 61% in the UK in the past 12 years. The bird has effectively disappeared from the north and southwest of England.
The Turtle Dove is a migratory visitor to the UK. The number of breeding pairs spending the summer in the British Isles is steadily decreasing. A number of factors have been cited, including illegal hunting along the migratory route and changes in UK agricultural practices affecting food supplies.
Aberdeen Red Kites (ARK) plans on releasing 30 Red Kites per year into the wild, in an attempt to reintroduce the bird to Scotland, where they were persecuted to extinction in the 19th century.
The Kites will be fitted with radio transmitters so the ARK can track their progress and behavior. The public will also be encouraged to report sightings of the Red Kites. The birds will also be fitted with wing tags.
Conservation plans are urgently needed for at least 1,221 bird species identified as threatened with extinction. BirdLife International’s Red List update also indicated that over 800 additional species are considered Near Threatened.
Today, 22% of the world’s bird species are at increased risk of extinction. Vulture and albatross populations are especially under threat, along with other island-dwelling sea birds.
BirdLife programs have shown that conservation efforts can work in order to save threatened species. In recent years the Mauritius Parakeet and Spectacled Petrel have both been downlisted due to successful conservation plans to increase their populations.
A new species of hummingbird was recently discovered in the Serrania del Pinche mountain range in southwest Colombia. The colorful Gorgeted Puffleg was first seen during surveys of the area done in 2005.
New plant species had recently been discovered in the area so researchers looked for other new species, expecting to find amphibians. The discovery of the bird was unexpected.
Experts believe the range of the Gorgeted Puffleg must be extremely small due to the fact that it had previously been undiscovered by man. The area where the bird was first seen is subject to slash and burn agriculture so environmentalists are scrambling to have the area protected.
The Saemangeum Wetland in South Korea was drained last year by the closure of a seawall. The project was intended to create rice paddy fields but the impact of local wildlife has been disastrous.
The water level of the wetland has dropped from seven meters to 17 centimeters. Mud now covers shellfish beds and plants that once thrived in the area and sustained the numerous birds that fed there.
The estuary was an important stopping off point for migratory birds. At least two bird species, the Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Nordmann’s Greenshank, face extinction because of the destruction of this wetland.
Birds Korea has appealed to the UK and EU for help in restoring, conserving and maintaining Saemangeum.
Four Black-tailed Godwits, an endangered species across Europe, have been nesting in the Ribble Estuary of Lancashire for the past decade. The two pairs are due to return to the nesting grounds soon, and when they do, they’ll be under the watchful eye of a group of volunteers.
Godwits are endangered due to loss of habitat but also because their beautiful eggs are prized by collectors who steal them. The Fylde Bird Club is working with the RSPB to guard the two Lancashire nests 24 hours a day to ensure the eggs will reach maturity.
An automated birdwatching machine has been set up at a wildlife reserve in Arkansas to search for the rare Ivory-billed Woodpecker. The bird was presumed extinct for decades but unconfirmed sightings beginning in 2004 have sparked great interest in the bird.
The electronic system uses two video cameras to capture images of the sky. These images are later scanned for evidence of the elusive Ivory-billed.
