Focusing On Wildlife

Three Arrested for Illegally Trafficking in Eagle Feathers

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:26:25 +0100

Three Montana men were arrested and arraigned following the conclusion of “Operation Rolling Thunder,” a multi-year federal investigation into the illegal trafficking of eagle and migratory bird feathers and remains.

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Safe Arrival for Sea Eagle Chicks

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 09:55:35 +0100

Sixteen white-tailed sea eagle chicks, gifted to Scotland from Norway as part of a major reintroduction project, have been settling into their temporary home at a secret location in Fife.

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First Short-tailed Albatross Born In U.S. Fledges

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 11:27:40 +0100

A Short-tailed Albatross chick has successfully fledged on an island in the Hawaiian archipelago, marking the first time this endangered species has ever been known to breed successfully outside of Japan.

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Serengeti Road Scrapped Over Wildlife Concerns

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 09:30:23 +0100

Controversial plans to build a tarmac road across the Serengeti National Park have been scrapped after warnings that it could devastate wildlife.

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Audouin’s Gull Breeding Population in Greece Rapidly Declining

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 11:13:27 +0100

The breeding populations of the Audouin’s Gull in Greece have experienced a rapid decline from estimated 750-900 pairs in late 1990s to 350-500 pairs in 2010. The Hellenic Ornithological Society (BirdLife Greece) is carrying out a series of actions to assess its major threats and to improve its breeding performance in its most important colonies.

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Saving the Spoon-billed Sandpiper from Extinction

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:27:01 +0100

An international team of conservationists is on an emergency mission to help save one of the world’s rarest birds from extinction. Spoon-billed Sandpiper Eurynorhynchus pygmeus is a remarkable bird, but its shocking drop in numbers indicates likely extinction within a decade if urgent action is not taken.

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Pigeons 'Home In On Friendly Human Feeders'

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:26:17 +0100

Urban pigeons have the ability to learn the difference between people who will feed them and those who will chase them away, a French study has indicated.

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Barroso May Cut Key Parts Of Common Agricultural Policy

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:46:23 +0100

Birdlife Europe is alarmed by recent reports that Mr. Barroso, the President of the European Commission, is considering scrapping, partially or entirely, the budget of the second pillar (rural development) of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). This includes agri-environment – payments to farmers engaged in conservations schemes. Rural development also includes support for investments and diversification of farmers’ revenue.

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Emperor Penguin Makes Epic Detour To New Zealand Beach

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:39:51 +0100

A young emperor penguin took a wrong turn from the Antarctic and ended up stranded on a New Zealand beach – the first time in 44 years the aquatic bird has been sighted in the south Pacific country.

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Gyrfalcons are Secret Seabirds

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:43:06 +0100

The world's largest falcon, the fast, taloned gyrfalcon, is a secret seabird, scientists have discovered. Gyrfalcons living in the high Arctic overwinter out at sea, spending long periods living and hunting on pack ice. It is the first time any falcon species has been found regularly living at sea. The birds likely rest on the ice and hunt other seabirds such as gulls and guillemots, over what appears to be one of the largest winter ranges yet documented for any raptor.

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Second Wave of Mystery Pelican Deaths Hits Topsail Beach

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 19:55:44 +0100

A second wave of mysterious pelican injuries and deaths has occurred in the past several weeks at Topsail Island in North Carolina following earlier incidents about six months ago in which about 250 pelicans died as a result of still-undetermined causes.

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A grain of hope in the desert

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:19:17 +0100

The Arabian Oryx (Oryx leucoryx), which was hunted to near extinction, is now facing a more secure future according to the latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. Its wild population now stands at 1,000 individuals.

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Criticism of Finland’s Spring Hunting of Common Eider

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 13:27:28 +0100

The population of common eider Somateria mollissima in the Baltic Sea has dramatically declined over the last decades. Nevertheless, the local government of Aland, an autonomous group of islands belonging to Finland, has re-opened spring hunting of common eiders as of 1st of May. The BirdLife partners in Denmark, Sweden and Finland protest against spring hunting and call for the EU to take action to protect this vulnerable population.

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Red Knot Wintering Population Drops by More than 5,000

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 06:52:15 +0100

Washington, D.C., June 14, 2011 - Red Knot Wintering Population Drops by More than 5,000, Accelerating Slide to Extinction Decline emphasizes need to list the knot under the Endangered Species Act and implement stronger protections at key U.S. stopover.

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Groups Call for Immediate Withdrawal of Toxic Pesticides

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 09:11:22 +0100

Washington, D.C., June 13, 2011 - American Bird Conservancy (ABC), the nation’s leading bird conservation organization, and ten other groups have called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to begin immediate proceedings to have rodent poison products that do not meet new EPA packaging guidelines withdrawn from retail shelves.

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Twenty-One Fin Whales Spotted In Irish Sea

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 20:16:49 +0100

One of the largest ever known gatherings of Fin whales in British waters has recently been observed in the Celtic Deep, 50-70 nautical miles off the coasts of north Cornwall and south west Pembrokeshire. On the afternoon of the 21st May, some 21 Fin whales were observed in the Celtic Deep, with the gathering of whales extending over at least ten miles of ocean.

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Six More California Condors Suffer Lead Poisoning

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 09:50:19 +0100

Three more California Condors, among the most endangered birds in the world, have died from lead poisoning from ammunition, while three others were treated for lead poisoning, according to The Peregrine Fund’s Condor Recovery Program in Arizona. This brings the total number of condors killed by lead in the last 11 years to 19.

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Longline Fisheries Continue To Drive Albatross Declines

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:26:29 +0100

A new global estimate of the impact of longline fisheries on seabirds reveals that, despite efforts to reduce seabird deaths, upwards of 300,000 birds are still being killed every year. The study by scientists from BirdLife International and the RSPB is published in the journal Endangered Species Research. It is a powerful reminder of how far we still need to go to ensure ecologically responsible fishing.

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Big Birds Lose Out In A Crowded World

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 08:52:52 +0100

One of the world’s largest species of bird is on the brink of extinction according to the 2011 IUCN Red List for birds, just released by BirdLife International. The Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) has been uplisted to Critically Endangered, the highest level of threat. Hunting, disturbance, habitat loss and fragmentation have all conspired to reduce this magnificent species to perhaps as few as 250 individuals.

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First Signs of Progress in Saving Indian Vultures

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 22:12:34 +0100

The ban on a veterinary drug which caused an unprecedented decline in Asian vulture populations has shown the first signs of progress, according to scientists. However, the recovery of the wild vulture populations requires efforts to see the drug completely removed from the birds’ food supply.

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