Summit on extinction crisis held as losses in bird species revealed

More than half of all bird species are in decline, according to a new global assessment, with deforestation driving sharp falls in populations across the planet.

- Patrick Greenfield

As a biodiversity summit opened yesterday in the UAE, scientists issued a fresh warning about the health of bird populations, with declines in numbers recorded for 61% of assessed species. From Schlegel's asity in Madagascar to the tail-bobbing northern nightingale-wren in Central America, many bird species have lost habitat to agriculture and human development. Just nine years ago, 44% of assessed bird species had declining populations, according to the red list of endangered species from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).