Numbers Of 24 Common European Bird Species Down 33% In 25 Years

[hatrack]

"Modern farming in Europe has reduced the numbers of 24 common bird species by a third in a quarter of a century, a report by European ornithologists says. The authors include staff of the UK's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and of BirdLife International.

EDIT

The indicator shows that across Europe, from Spain to Poland (including the UK), the species' numbers, including skylarks, lapwings and yellowhammers, have crashed by a third since 1980, and says this is because of intensive farming.

The RSPB says: "These declines have been severest in countries in north-west Europe. In the UK, for example, between 1970 and 1999, the skylark declined by 52%, the yellowhammer by 53% and the corn bunting by 88%."

EDIT

It (ed. - the RSPB) says: "Birds at most immediate risk are those particularly vulnerable to intensive agriculture, such as the corncrake, the red-backed shrike and the great bustard. Currently, eastern European states have significant populations of these birds."

EDIT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3403505.stm

[mitchtv]

1. also in danger, those who migrate over

Spain and Italy.

[dusty64]

2. Sad!

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