The tawny eagle is considered by scientists to be vulnerable to extinction. The destruction of forests and grasslands in Africa and South Asia is shrinking its habitat. Photo: Evan R. Buechley via AP
Despite a few high-profile conservation success stories – like the dramatic comeback of bald eagle populations in North America – birds of prey are in decline worldwide.
A new analysis of data from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and BirdLife International found that 30% of 557 raptor species worldwide are considered near threatened, vulnerable or endangered or critically endangered. Eighteen species are critically endangered, including the Philippine eagle, the hooded vulture and the Annobon scops owl, the researchers found.
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Birds of prey: Populations on the decline
The tawny eagle is considered by scientists to be vulnerable to extinction. The destruction of forests and grasslands in Africa and South Asia is shrinking its habitat. Photo: Evan R. Buechley via AP
This 2018 photo shows a Tawny Eagle in Ethiopia.
This 2010 file photo shows "Girlie," a 29-year-old Philippine Eagle at the Parks and Wildlife Center in Manila's Quezon City. An analysis of data from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and BirdLife International released on Aug 30, 2021, found that 30% of 557 raptor species worldwide are considered near threatened, vulnerable or endangered. Eighteen species are critically endangered, including the Philippine eagle, researchers found. Photo: AP/Bullit Marquez
The hooded vulture is one of 18 species that are critically endangered, researchers found. Photo: Evan R. Buechley via AP
This undated photo provided by Evan R. Buechley in August 2021 shows a hooded vulture in Ethiopia. An analysis of data from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and BirdLife International released on Monday, Aug. 30, 2021 found that 30% of 557 raptor species worldwide are considered near threatened, vulnerable or endangered. Eighteen species are critically endangered, including the hooded vulture, researchers found. (Evan R. Buechley via AP)
A 2013 photo of a female harpy eagle and its young in a nest in Darién Province, Panama. Harpy eagles were once widespread throughout southern Mexico and Central and South America, but deforestation has dramatically shrunk their range. Photo: Carlos Navarro via AP
A golden eagle feeding on roadkill in Utah in 2020. Gerardo Ceballos, a bird scientist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, says, "The golden eagle is the national bird of Mexico, but we have very few golden eagles left in Mexico." A 2016 census estimated only about 100 breeding pairs remain in the country. Photo: Evan R. Buechley via AP
Scientists and journalists watch as an Andean condor is released into the wild by Bolivian veterinarians on Feb 23, 2021, on the outskirts of Choquekhota, Bolivia, as part of a project run by a state conservation programme. The population of the Andean condor, the world's heaviest soaring bird, is declining due to exposure to pesticides, lead and other toxic substances, said Sergio Lambertucci, a biologist at the National University of Comahue in Argentina. Photo: AP/Juan Karita
