Report highlights threats to birds

Migratory water birds crossing 119 countries are increasingly vulnerable to habitat loss, hunting, human infrastructure development, expanding agriculture and disease, according to a recent report.

- By Tony Carnie

Common cranes fly over Hungary en route to their wintering grounds in North Africa. Their

(Photo: Sergey Deryliev)

Unburdened by the need for passports or visas, birds have freedom of the skies.

They can fly off to pretty much anywhere they choose. That's the theory. In reality, their ability to move to survive has become increasingly constricted and fraught with danger.

The threats to the migratory movements of land-bound wild animals are quite well known. Boundary fences, busy highways, human settlements and other physical obstacles have increasingly blocked or limited their ability to disperse in search of new territory, water or food.

Birds, on the other hand, can fly over many of these obstacles. Nevertheless, just as motorists need to pull off the highway to rest and refuel on long journeys, several bird species also require places to rest and feed en route during their annual migrations - or during shorter, regional hops in search of food and water.