One in nine migratory birds threatened with extinction, global report says

One in nine migratory birds are threatened with extinction and 45% of migratory species such as cuckoos, turtle doves and Arctic terns are in decline, according to a global report.

The migratory slender-billed curlew was officially declared extinct last year, the first global bird extinction in mainland Eurasia and Africa in recent centuries. Worldwide, seven migratory bird species have been confirmed or are suspected to have become extinct over the last 150 years.

The threats to migratory birds, which are overwhelmingly caused by humans and include the intensification of farming, unsustainable hunting, pollution, invasive species and global heating, were revealed in the State of the World’s Birds report.

Seabirds and shorebirds, which depend upon marine habitats and coastal wetlands, are faring particularly badly, according to the analysis, which is produced every four years by BirdLife International.

Stuart Butchart, the chief scientist at BirdLife International, said: “Migratory birds are sentinels, and their declines reveal growing pressure on the natural systems that sustain us. But the science is equally clear: conservation works, with coordinated action preventing extinctions and helping populations recover. The solutions exist: what is needed now is their implementation at flyway scale.”

The report was published at the Global Flyways summit in Nairobi, Kenya, where governments, scientists, conservation NGOs and financial institutions signed a commitment to increase efforts to protect migratory birds along their flyways, the routes taken by billions of migratory birds moving between continents and seasons.

The Nairobi Flyways Declaration comes with three development banks integrating flyway conservation into their lending frameworks, providing $6bn (£4.4bn) for habitat protection and restoration along migratory routes.

Threats to migratory birds include persecution, with an estimated 13.1 million to 42.7 million migratory birds illegally killed or taken every year in Europe, the Mediterranean, the Caucasus and the Arabian peninsula. Many of these are songbirds caught in mist nets or on “lime sticks” for human consumption.

Invasive species, such as rodents sometimes accidentally introduced on to small islands where seabirds breed, also threaten migratory birds.

Loss or damage to natural habitats is another prime cause. According to the report, scientific monitoring over the past decade has found that more than half (58%) of 1,099 key biodiversity areas for migratory birds are in poor or very poor condition.

But the report highlights how conservation action, often across national boundaries, is reviving some species.

The eradication of non-native rabbits, cats, rodents and the weka bird from Australia’s Macquarie Island, an important site for breeding seabirds, has led to a resurgence in populations of migratory seabirds including the blue petrel, grey petrel, white-headed petrel and the Antarctic prion.

In China, an ambitious countrywide programme to remove smooth cordgrass, a North American grass introduced in 1979 to stabilise coastal mudflats for development, has restored 37,553 hectares (92,756 acres) – half the total area – in its first year, opening up vital food-rich mudflats to shorebirds again.

In Britain, the restoration of wetlands on agricultural land threatened by coastal erosion at Wallasea Island, Essex, has led to peaks of more than 32,000 waterbirds returning to the site, including 11,270 red knots.

Outlined at the summit were plans by the Asian Development Bank to mobilise $3bn over the next decade to protect at least 50 priority wetlands across the east Asian-Australasian flyway, with the funds also supporting nearly 200 million people who depend on these ecosystems. The Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean is mobilising $3bn-$5bn up to 2050 to safeguard more than 30 landscapes and seascapes. Several billion dollars has also been pledged by the World Bank and BirdLife to support flyways across Africa, Europe and Asia used by more than 2 billion migratory birds.

Princess Takamado of Japan, the honorary president of BirdLife International, said: “Migratory birds do not recognise borders. They connect Asia to Africa, the Arctic to the tropics. The Nairobi Flyways Declaration acknowledges this reality – that it needs international cooperation and coordination to keep migratory birds safe. I am excited and proud to see that the scientific community, conservation organisations and the financial sector are uniting to make this happen. We stand at an important turning point. We have been waiting for this moment for a long time.”

Martin Harper, the chief executive of BirdLife International, also called the Nairobi Declaration a turning point but said governments, businesses and civil society needed to play their part. “Development banks are rising to the challenge. The BirdLife Partnerhip is prepared to act. We now need others to step up to reverse the declines and save the wonder of migration.”