A world view

Bird Life's flagship State of the World's Birds report paints the most concerning picture for the natural world yet, with nearly half of the world's bird species now in decline. While further underlining that we are in the midst of a biodiversity crisis, it also highlights the critical solutions we desperately need to save nature. And political will and financial commitment are urgently required if these solutions are to be implemented at scale and at pace.

From albatrosses soaring graceful-ly over the high seas and chicken- like Maleos digging nests deep in remote rainforests to Emperor Penguins fishing to depths over half a kilometre underwater and Peregrine Falcons nesting high on skyscrapers towering over great metropolises, birds can be found almost anywhere on earth and are a key indicator of the health of the planet.

As a world leader in conservation science, Bird Life publishes its landmark State of the World’s Birds report every four years. The document is an extraordinary summary of data tirelessly collected by researchers, conservationists and citizen scientists alike, highlighting the plight of the avian world, the key threats it faces and the urgent measures needed to protect it. Given that bird calls echo across nearly every corner of the world, it tells us about more than just the health of this extraordinarily diverse group, but also that of nature as a whole.

However, the latest edition of State of the World’s Birds paints the most concerning picture for nature yet. Nearly half of the world’s bird species are in decline, with only six per cent having increasing populations. One in eight species (or 1409 species in total) are now threatened with extinction. Nearly three billion birds are estimated to have been lost since 1970 in North America alone and a further 600 million have been lost in the European Union – an area five times smaller – since 1980.