For a desert rabbit, it’s hard to imagine what could be more terrifying than a hungry, nimble Harris’s Hawk. Except, that is, for five hungry, nimble Harris’s Hawks. We tend to think of raptors as solitary hunters, and for the most part that’s true. Unfortunately for the cottontails and jackrabbits of the American Southwest, however, […]
Tag: migratory bird
US and Canada have lost three billion birds since 1970
The US and Canada have lost more than one in four birds – a total of three billion – since 1970, culminating in what scientists who published a new study are calling a “widespread ecological crisis”. Researchers observed a 29% decline in bird populations across diverse groups and habitats – from songbirds such as meadowlarks […]
Final Plan for Arctic Refuge Drilling Could Cause Extinctions, Admits Government
The U.S. Department of the Interior last week took a major step toward the first-ever oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In a decision that outraged but did not surprise environmentalists, the agency announced its final plan to develop one of the world’s last great wildernesses, acknowledging that its chosen course might wipe […]
Buildings are killing up to 1bn birds a year in US, scientists estimate
Scientists estimate that at least 100 million and maybe as many as a billion birds die each year in the US when they collide with buildings, especially glass-covered or illuminated skyscrapers. And, in a new report, conservationists now have a better idea which American cities are the deadliest for those on the wing. Chicago, with […]
This shy bird can escape a birdwatcher’s eye, but not illegal trappers’ nets
The Common Quail is one of seven flagship birds in our Flight for Survival campaign to raise awareness of the scope and scale of the illegal killing of migratory birds. The small, seemingly shy Common Quail Coturnix coturnix prefers to stay hidden amongst the rough grasses of farmland as it forages with its long, sharp […]
How can we REALLY prevent birds from flying into our windows?
Nothing is more heart-breaking than hearing that familiar dull thud, and running to find a dusty, bird-shaped imprint on your window. Sometimes, the bird is only stunned, and will live to fly another day. But sometimes, it will not. You may only have encountered this once or twice in your life, but with billions of […]
POLL: Should China impose strict regulations on bird poaching?
Bird poaching – for meat or for the pet trade – has become a silent epidemic across China, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of migratory birds each year. Gu Xuan, a young conservationist, is determined to break this cycle of death and destruction, and set the birds free. This video was first […]
POLL: Should Malta be sanctioned for continuing to slaughter songbirds?
Malta has broken EU law by allowing the hunting and trapping of several finch species, the European court has ruled. The Mediterranean island will face potentially substantial fines unless it ends a derogation it introduced in 2014 allowing the songbirds to be captured. An estimated 110,000 finches have been caught by hunters since then, along […]
