Endangered birds in Spain
Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 4:35 pmEndangered birds in Spain
Novemeber 2004. The new Red Book of Birds in Spain has just been published. Of the 390 species and subspecies of birds present in Spain (not including migrants, etc), 99 are in some way threatened. These include15 are in critical danger , 39 in danger and 45 vulnerable . A further 32 are classified as almost threatened and 25 classified as having insufficient data to be able to establish their true status. Being classified as in critical danger means the bird has a 50% chance of becoming extinct over the next decade - or within three generations - whichever is longer.
This is the most complete study of birds in Spain since the 1992 publication of Libro rojo de los vertebrados de España ( Click here for full article from SEO )
7 species are noted mentioned as being extinct in Spain (2 at a world level - the Canary Islands Oystercatcher and a subspecies of Canary Islands Stonechat (from the Chinijo archipiélago). The last sure record of the former was one killed in 1913 with "a long and rather fortunate shot", in the words of the ornithologist who pulled the trigger. There were several reliable sightings since, between 1969 and 1981. (two from Tenerife and two from Senegal ) . Its decline was probably due to overharvesting of shellfish and disturbance by people, although rats and cats have also been blamed.
33 (25%) of the taxons of the four categories are found exclusively in the Canaries - 76% of which are endemics, clearly demonstrating the particular biodiversity of the Canaries whose small surface area makes Canarian species particularly vulnerable to extinction
Unsurprisingly, the single most important cause o the current status of birds in Spain as everywhere else is loss of habitat. Human disturbance is also cited as playing a key role along with the spread of intensive agriculture and livestock farming. Others factors mentioned are: rural abandonment, direct persecution, competition from and being preyed upon by invasive species, electrocution and/or collisions with electricity lines and pylons, the building of infrastructures, the pollution and poor management of wetlands, intensive forestry, poisoning (imperial eagle), and urban expansion. Many of these are clearly interlinked. On the positive side, the Spanish bird organisation SEO and the Ministry of the Environment seem to be seeing eye to eye on many issues these days.
Spain has still by far the biggest and most varied bird populations in Western Europe .
In Critical Danger (50% chance of extinction - see above) 15 species including:
Balearic Shearwater
Pardela Balear
Bittern
Avetoro
Common Guillemot
Arao Común
Ferruginous Duck
Porrón Pardo
Gran Canary Blue Chaffinch
Pinzón Azul de Gran Canaria
Lesser Grey Shrike
Alcaudón Chico
Marbled Duck
Cerceta Pardilla
Osprey
Águila Pescadora
Red-knobbed Coot
Focha Moruna
In Danger: 39 species including:
Bonelli's Eagle
Águila-Azor Perdicera
Capercaillie (2 subspecies)
Urogallo (2 subspecies)
Cream-coloured Courser
Corredor Sahariano
Egpytian Vulture
Alimoche
Houbara Bustard
Avutarda Hubara
Lammergeier
Quebrantahuesos
Laurel Pigeon
Paloma Rabiche
Red Kite
Milano Real
Spanish Imperial Eagle
Águila Imperial
White-headed Duck
Malvasía Cabeciblanca
Vulnerable species 45 species including:
Audouin's Gull
Gaviota Audouin
Black Stork
Cigüeña Negra
Bulwer's Petrel
Petrel de Bulwer
Collared Pratincole
Canastera
Common Teal
Cerceta Común
European Storm-petrel
Paíño Europeo
Glossy Ibis
Morito
Great Bustard
Avutarda
Grey Partridge
Perdiz Pardilla
Kentish Plover
Chorlitejo Patinegro
Kittiwake
Gaviota Tridáctila
Lesser Kestrel
Cernícalo Primilla
Little Bustard
Sisón
Little Shearwater
Pardela Chica
Black (Monk)Vulture
Buitre Negro
Montagu's Harrier
Aguilucho Cenizo
Pintail
Ánade Rabudo
Ptarmigan
Lagópodo Alpino
Red-crested Pochard
Pato Colorado
Short-toed Lark
Terrera Común
Slender-billed Gull
Gaviota Picofina
Spoonbill
Espátula
White-faced Storm-petrel
Paíño Pechialbo
Novemeber 2004. The new Red Book of Birds in Spain has just been published. Of the 390 species and subspecies of birds present in Spain (not including migrants, etc), 99 are in some way threatened. These include15 are in critical danger , 39 in danger and 45 vulnerable . A further 32 are classified as almost threatened and 25 classified as having insufficient data to be able to establish their true status. Being classified as in critical danger means the bird has a 50% chance of becoming extinct over the next decade - or within three generations - whichever is longer.
This is the most complete study of birds in Spain since the 1992 publication of Libro rojo de los vertebrados de España ( Click here for full article from SEO )
7 species are noted mentioned as being extinct in Spain (2 at a world level - the Canary Islands Oystercatcher and a subspecies of Canary Islands Stonechat (from the Chinijo archipiélago). The last sure record of the former was one killed in 1913 with "a long and rather fortunate shot", in the words of the ornithologist who pulled the trigger. There were several reliable sightings since, between 1969 and 1981. (two from Tenerife and two from Senegal ) . Its decline was probably due to overharvesting of shellfish and disturbance by people, although rats and cats have also been blamed.
33 (25%) of the taxons of the four categories are found exclusively in the Canaries - 76% of which are endemics, clearly demonstrating the particular biodiversity of the Canaries whose small surface area makes Canarian species particularly vulnerable to extinction
Unsurprisingly, the single most important cause o the current status of birds in Spain as everywhere else is loss of habitat. Human disturbance is also cited as playing a key role along with the spread of intensive agriculture and livestock farming. Others factors mentioned are: rural abandonment, direct persecution, competition from and being preyed upon by invasive species, electrocution and/or collisions with electricity lines and pylons, the building of infrastructures, the pollution and poor management of wetlands, intensive forestry, poisoning (imperial eagle), and urban expansion. Many of these are clearly interlinked. On the positive side, the Spanish bird organisation SEO and the Ministry of the Environment seem to be seeing eye to eye on many issues these days.
Spain has still by far the biggest and most varied bird populations in Western Europe .
In Critical Danger (50% chance of extinction - see above) 15 species including:
Balearic Shearwater
Pardela Balear
Bittern
Avetoro
Common Guillemot
Arao Común
Ferruginous Duck
Porrón Pardo
Gran Canary Blue Chaffinch
Pinzón Azul de Gran Canaria
Lesser Grey Shrike
Alcaudón Chico
Marbled Duck
Cerceta Pardilla
Osprey
Águila Pescadora
Red-knobbed Coot
Focha Moruna
In Danger: 39 species including:
Bonelli's Eagle
Águila-Azor Perdicera
Capercaillie (2 subspecies)
Urogallo (2 subspecies)
Cream-coloured Courser
Corredor Sahariano
Egpytian Vulture
Alimoche
Houbara Bustard
Avutarda Hubara
Lammergeier
Quebrantahuesos
Laurel Pigeon
Paloma Rabiche
Red Kite
Milano Real
Spanish Imperial Eagle
Águila Imperial
White-headed Duck
Malvasía Cabeciblanca
Vulnerable species 45 species including:
Audouin's Gull
Gaviota Audouin
Black Stork
Cigüeña Negra
Bulwer's Petrel
Petrel de Bulwer
Collared Pratincole
Canastera
Common Teal
Cerceta Común
European Storm-petrel
Paíño Europeo
Glossy Ibis
Morito
Great Bustard
Avutarda
Grey Partridge
Perdiz Pardilla
Kentish Plover
Chorlitejo Patinegro
Kittiwake
Gaviota Tridáctila
Lesser Kestrel
Cernícalo Primilla
Little Bustard
Sisón
Little Shearwater
Pardela Chica
Black (Monk)Vulture
Buitre Negro
Montagu's Harrier
Aguilucho Cenizo
Pintail
Ánade Rabudo
Ptarmigan
Lagópodo Alpino
Red-crested Pochard
Pato Colorado
Short-toed Lark
Terrera Común
Slender-billed Gull
Gaviota Picofina
Spoonbill
Espátula
White-faced Storm-petrel
Paíño Pechialbo