Forty new species of bird have been reclassified in the latest worldwide inventory of being at risk of extinction, including four found in the United Kingdom: the Atlantic Puffin, Slavonian Grebe, Turtle Dove and the Pochard. The plight of Africa’s vultures is arguably the main headline, with four further species being upgraded from endangered to critically endangered. Six of the continents eleven vulture species now possess this bleak status. There are some positive stories to come out of the findings though, which have been published by Birdlife International, on behalf of the IUCN. Twenty-three species have been downgraded to lesser states of threat and highlight some important conservation successes, such as the Seychelles Warbler and Chatham Petrel.

Severe declines in vulture populations can be attributed to a rise in the incidences of poisoning, indirectly from farmers seeking to protect their livestock from leopard and hyena, and directly from poachers who view the presence of the vultures as an all too visible sign of their illegal activities. Their body parts are also sought after for traditional medicines.

The reasons behind a 90% drop in Turtle Dove numbers here in Britain since 1970 however, is less clear and currently under investigation; although modern agricultural practices are believed to be a considerable factor, along with being at the receiving end of spring shooting in countries such as Malta as they migrate to the Mediterranean. The result has been a dramatic decline in the number of breeding pairs.

Fewer young puffins are surviving to breed, as they suffer from shortages of prey, such as sand eels, more extreme weather conditions, increased levels of pollution, voltaile sea temperatures, gill net fishing practices and invasive non-native species disrupting their colonies. Some colonies have failed to breed during a season and even those that do, will only produce one chick.

The Slavonian Grebe population has also lacked an adequate number of breeding pairs, but the reasons for this remain unclear. The Pochard has been affected by hunting and habitat loss.

Other species added to the ‘near threatened’ list include the Oystercatcher, Curlew Sandpiper and Lapwing.