Community | May 27, 2010 | 16 comments

Madagascan Bird Declared Extinct

source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/05/26/bird.extinction.red.list/index.html?hpt=T2

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Kurta
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London, England (CNN) -- The Alaotra Grebe, a small diving bird native to Madagascar has been officially classified extinct, according to a leading bird conservation organization.

BirdLife International reported that the species, once found on Lake Alaotra, the largest lake in Madagascar, declined rapidly due to carnivorous fish being introduced to the lake and the use of nylon gill nets by local fishermen.

"No hope now remains for this species. It is another example of how human actions can have unforeseen consequences," Dr Leon Bennun, BirdLife International's director of science, policy and information said in a statement.

Invasive alien species are causing extinctions around the globe, Bennun says, and are one of the major threats not just to birds but to other wildlife.

BirdLife International's report is the latest update to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species for birds and highlights additional cases of the negative impact of invasive species on bird life.

The status of Zapata Rail -- a blue/brown bird native to Southwest Cuba -- was upgraded to "critically endangered" due to the introduction of mongoose and exotic catfish to its marshland habitat.

In Asia and Australia, pollution of coastal wetlands is contributing to the falling populations of wading birds like the Great Knot and the Far Eastern Curlew.

The destruction of inter-tidal mudflats in Saemangeum, South Korea, an important migratory stop-over site, has seen numbers of the Great Knot fall by 20 percent, according to BirdLife.

But the news isn't all bad. Conservation projects are having a positive impact on the survival of bird species.

In particular, the Azores Bullfinch has been downgraded from "critically endangered" to "endangered" thanks to conservation work to restore its natural vegetation on its Atlantic island home.

And in Colombia, the numbers of Yellow-eared Parrot have been rising as its nesting sites are preserved and local communities take part in educational programs to learn about conservation.

Martin Fowlie, communications officer at BirdLife International told CNN: "The overall state of the world's birds is getting worse year on year. But these are two very good examples in the list this year that show conservation works.

"We have the skill and the expertise, so these things can be prevented. But we need commitments from governments to provide money to help birds and animals to survive."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/05/26/bird.extinction.red.list/index.html?h...
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16 comments // Madagascan Bird Declared Extinct

  • Almibry
    • +2
      Almibry  

    • I take comfort from knowing that while humans are capable of destroying our planet completely, the chances of us doing so are almost infinitely small. Short of burying a few nuclear warheads in strategic places to literally blow our home to pieces, she can recover. A few billion years mean nothing really. It's a shame we're so good at killing ourselves though. I wish people would know that the quote "No man is an island" isn't just psycho-mind-babble. Everything we get from the planet, we take from ourselves.

    • 1 year ago
  • Kurta
    • +2
      Kurta  
    • Almibry:

      Nicely stated. I like to think of a time without humans, not morbidly, but it would be interesting to see what unpolluted air and water are like. What will the Earth be like when we are gone? What new species will come to dominate? I love those kind of thoughts.

    • 1 year ago
  • idealist
  • 2helenahandbasket
  • EthicalVegan
    • +2
      EthicalVegan  
    • 2helenahandbasket:

      Yes, some animals HAVE. Of course. But what I'm saying is that, SINCE the human species took over and decided to be in charge, if you will, there've been tens of thousands of species gone extinct, directly as a result of humans. That has NOTHING to do with nature... and that's why it hurts so damn much.

    • 1 year ago
  • Reeseismyname
    • 0
      Reeseismyname  

    • It's so weird to know what is natural and not... although we know that there may be some environmental impact due to this extinction, but I wonder if there will also be some sort of balance after the shock. I think we need to respect the animals and environment but also know that the world is always going through changes like this... at some point we will also be extinct in hopes that the world can finally rebound.

    • 1 year ago
  • EthicalVegan
    • +1
      EthicalVegan  
    • Reeseismyname:

      I'd agree if it were left fully to nature... but it's the human species who's created the most irreversible damage. Take away humans, and thousands of animals, birds, fish, insects, trees, plants, etc. would still be here. I do get what you're saying.

    • 1 year ago
  • Kurta
    • +2
      Kurta  
    • Reeseismyname:

      I'm sure that the ecosystem will rebound. Something will inevitably replace this species but it's a shame that it's gone forever now. I have no doubt in my mind that humankind played a significant role in it's demise. In fact, the background extinction rates have gone into overdrive in the past century or so. Some say, and I agree, that we are in the middle of the sixth mass extinction. This one will most likely eclipse the Pleistocene as the only other human-induced extinction. Although the Pleistocene extinction had more to do with natural climate fluctuations than outright habitiat destruction and humanity's impact on atmospheric chemistry. Whew!

      There's always going to be some doubt regarding the extent of the background extinction rate since we really have no clue how many species there are on Earth. Heh, but we're going to Mars...nice.

    • 1 year ago
  • EmperorThan
    • +1
      EmperorThan  

    • "USA! USA!!!!"

      It would probably just be faster to list the animals NOT going extinct in Madagascar, didn't they cut down like 98% of their forests already or something?

    • 1 year ago
  • Kurta
  • EthicalVegan
  • Kurta
  • EthicalVegan
    • 0
      EthicalVegan  
    • Kurta:

      I'm embarrassed. I Googled "Alaotra Grebe," and this is one of the photos I came up with. YOU'RE the bird expert, so I'll trust you to know.

      I guess that, looking at this other beautiful bird, we can at least hope,hope,hope that HER species will endure.

      Still embarrassed.

    • 1 year ago
  • EthicalVegan
  • Kurta
    • +1
      Kurta  
    • EthicalVegan:

      Heh, I'm not sure if that's the right one either. The coloration is different than the main photo. Unless, this is a male. I'm probably wrong anyway. Oh it doesn't matter anyway, that's not really the important thing here. Sorry for nit-picking, I can't help myself. I wish I had an African field guide but I doubt I'll ever use it.

    • 1 year ago
  • Kurta
    • +1
      Kurta  
    • Image
    • Kurta:

      I did some checking. Apparently, the main photo is the ONLY photo of this bird, which is really a shame, because it does the bird no justice. Here's an artist's representation that at least has more detail. I can't believe there aren't ANY pictures of it anywhere. What the hell!!??

    • 1 year ago
  • EthicalVegan
    • +1
      EthicalVegan  
    • Kurta:

      You're NOT nit-picking, believe me. I like to be accurate, and I was way off-base... twice! Gulp.

      Now I'm determined to find a picture that truly IS representative of a bird we no longer have in existence.

    • 1 year ago
  • Kurta
  • EthicalVegan
  • Kurta
    • +1
      Kurta  
    • EthicalVegan:

      I didn't get much of a reaction from people when I told them about this story. I don't get it. Maybe people would care if these birds had economic value. That's how everything seems to work. Imagine the outcry if chickens went extinct!

      I'm certainly more broken up about this bird than anyone famous who has recently died. Am I a bad person for saying that?

    • 1 year ago
  • EthicalVegan
  • Kurta
    • +1
      Kurta  

    • Such a shame. The bright side is that there are many species making a rebound, like Kirtland's Warbler in the U.S.. There's still hope for some but any extinction is a tragedy.

    • 1 year ago
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