Ornithologists have announced the threat of extinction of the most colorful bird species.
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- Ornithologists have announced the threat of extinction of the most colorful bird species.
The bright color of the feathers and their attractiveness to humans increase the risk of songbirds becoming extinct. At the same time, the trade in decorative species is only one of the negative factors. This was reported by Popular Science magazine on July 1.
The authors Natalia Ocampo-Penuela and Monte Neath-Clegg analyzed data on more than 5,000 species of passerines, which make up more than half of all known birds on Earth. During expeditions through the jungles of Southeast Asia, scientists noticed a link between the aesthetic appeal of a species and the rate of population decline.
Monte Neath-Clegg, ornithologist at the University of California, Davis and co-author of the study
People tend to care more about colorful birds, which makes them great symbols for conservation programs. However, if we lose the most prominent representatives of this group, we will lose those who are most dear to people and who make the greatest contribution to their preservation. We want people to capture the beauty of these birds through a camera lens or binoculars, not in a cage.
The created mathematical models have shown that the correlation between color and the threat of extinction is most pronounced in regions with a temperate climate and in countries with a low level of anthropogenic impact. At the same time, the researchers emphasized that extinction threatens even those bright species that are not in demand in the pet market.
The authors of the study emphasized that in the future they still have to figure out what, in addition to trade, complicates the lives of colorful birds. They suggest that they may have a harder time keeping cool in the face of global warming, or that being visible makes them too easy prey for predators.
Scientists noted that the causes of threats vary geographically: if trapping for sale plays a key role in Southeast Asia, then climate change and habitat destruction come to the fore in Africa and Latin America. As an example of a rare species, ornithologists cited the orange-black-silver Yersen shrub (Trochalopteron yersini), which lives in Vietnam on an area of only 620 square kilometers. The species is considered endangered due to the combination of its unique singing and striking color, which attracts poachers.
On April 2, the press service of Tomsk State University announced the assistance of local scientists in the conservation of three bird species in the Arctic and Siberia. According to the publication, these include the forest subspecies of hummingbird, red-throated goose and pipit.
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