The Imminent Reality Of Birds

Birds, adapted for running, jumping, swimming, and diving in addition to flying; control pests, spread plants, transform entire landscapes, help keep corals alive, among other things, are colorful and so fascinating animals.

In 2003, an estimation established the global population of all mature birds to reach the amount between 40 and 130 billion individuals approximately. However, this is a rough estimate.

Image 1: Birds are unique animals that face a harsh reality with global warming.

The birds declive

Bird populations have declined 29 percent in North America since 1970, according to a study published last year in Science. Most of the indicators from the biodiversity prevalence studies more frequently showed downward trends in biological diversity than an increase after the Global Framework for Biodiversity after 2020.

Even usual birds at risk of extinction, the 2018 report about the state of the birds in the world; provides a comprehensive view of the health of bird populations globally. The studies show that nearly 40 percent of the 18,000 bird species are in the world are in decline, and one in every eight species of birds is under threat of global extinction.

Studies indicate that at least 25 species of birds would have become extinct in recent decades were it not for conservation interventions. Even the common dove is now a vulnerable species and is listed as threatened.

"The data are unequivocal. We are undergoing a steady and continuing deterioration in the status of the birds in the world," said Tris Allinson, senior global science officer, and Editor-In-Chief.

Image 2: The birds suffer a continuous decline at a worldwide level.

Threats that they face

Important Bird Areas and Biodiversity (IBA) are listed and isolated as dominant sites for the conservation of birds and the biodiversity of species in general. The birds usually live in the flora of the areas; they are representative of the impact of environmental damage, such as deforestation; at the same time, they are sensitive to toxic pollutants. There are more than 12,000 sites in more than 200 countries, territories, and autonomous regions.

Everything indicates that they are very relevant to mitigate and avoid the risk of biodiversity loss and identify opportunities associated with biodiversity conservation. Globally, 40% of areas important to birds are under little legal protection, and 28% of areas important to birds have fully-protection laws. In any case, we know that the population often respects the established norms and is dedicated to deforestation, selling wild birds, and hunting.

There are human practices that are very dangerous for birds. It mainly includes habitat loss, extinction, fisheries, climate change, and lack of resources. Collisions are a principal source of death for birds. The sum of deaths due to collisions against structures kills up to one billion birds each year in the United States; collisions with airplanes are also frequent, mainly near the airport, putting the traveling population at risk. Cats, rats, and other hunters also take a large part of the population; each year in the United States, cats kill more than 1 billion birds.

Image 3: The loss of habitat is frequent; it reflects the area's biodiversity.

For example, Maui is no longer safe for Hawaii's endangered birds; mosquitoes have eliminated the last safe place for endangered forest birds on Maui; the only solution may require the release of millions of more mosquitoes to compete against them. Climate change has favored the colonization of various deadly mosquitoes on Maui to the point where native forest birds cannot find shelter.

The agriculture expansion and the increase in operations influence the health of 74 percent of the world's threatened birds. For example, agriculture negatively affects  the birds with neurotoxic insecticides known as neonicotinoids or "neonics." These toxins also affect the ability of birds to navigate during migration.

Climate change has also caused birds to adapt to early nesting. In addition, birds exposed to artificial lights at night nest up to a month earlier than those that live far from the glare of humanity.

When exposed to the din of airplanes or cars, the birds delayed nesting and decreased the number of eggs dropped by 12 percent.

Noise can disrupt communication that is essential for mating. These disturbances can cause nesting birds and seabirds to flee and abandon their nests, leaving eggs or chicks exposed to predators or causing eggs to drop to the ground.

Image 4: Climate change could generate changes in migration destinations.

Scientific studies suggest that climate change will cause birds to change their migration destinations with the degradation of their original places. It could affect biodiversity populations adapted to drier conditions and displace those adapted to more humid ones.

Estimations show that one million seabirds die due to plastic each year. However, approximately 80 percent of the birds or more interact with it, a reality that increases every day; even more, thousands of pounds of plastic reach the beaches every year.

Seabirds mistake plastic debris for prey; the plastic kills them as they find their stomachs full of plastic residues. However, many more birds do not die and have prolonged contact with this, which brings serious health problems to the general population. From birth, some babies interact with these plastics.

Plastic debris can give rise to microscopic plastic particles, called microplastics. They are not only a problem in the middle of the ocean and on remote islands; these plastics can easily be transported through streams of water to reach the human body.

"Some of the areas where we collect plastic are very remote. To me, that shows that this is a global problem; it is not something that one country can solve alone." Christopher Robertson, Wellington Ornithologist

Image 5: Plastic contamination is common in seabirds.

Birds as a microorganisms reservoir

Birds are also sources of disease, serve as carriers of some infectious organisms, and work as reservoirs for microorganism mutation.

A principal poultry farm in Russia suffered from bird flu; authorities quickly tested the birds and went into operation, killing 800,000 chickens to stop the possible spread. They also do human tests and find a positive result for H5N8.

From December 25, 2020, to January 14, 2021, more than seven million birds died from H5N8 outbreaks in Europe and Asia.

It is always possible that any virus can develop person-to-person transmission, also become more dangerous. But the H5N8 would have to overcome both obstacles. Compared to other viral threats, Dr. Krammer, a flu researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine in Mt. Sinai, said, "I'm not worried about H5N8."

Image 6: At the right, influenza virus. At left, SARS-CoV-2 virus particles (modified. Image by NIAID.)

However, viruses combine and use to mutate in unpredictable ways. Maybe the flu virus is not so fast, but COVID-19 is so fast; we cannot underestimate the virus's abilities since it mutates very quickly. The same could happen and be exaggerated if COVID-19 interacts a lot with animal life.

Another common pest is avian malaria. In the same way, birds have links with other human diseases, such as the salmonella outbreak linked to songbirds and easy to spread to humans.

Although birds produce this type of disease, their importance is much greater. So efforts have to increase to maintain these birds, every day more and more habitat is eliminated, and more pollutants are released. If frequent species as the common sparrow are now under threat, the short-term impacts could be vastly worrying and irreparable.

 

 References

• Margaret Sessa-Hawkins. Birdlife International. Even familiar birds at risk of extinction, a new study finds. 23 Apr 2018. Link https://www.birdlife.org/worldwide/news/even-familiar-birds-risk-extinction-new-study-finds.

• The University of California. Andy Fell. Migratory birds track climate across the year. UC Davis. February 18, 2021. Link https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/migratory-birds-track-climate-across-year.

• Birdlife International. Jessica Law. Why we need birds (far more than they need us). 4 Jan 2019. Link https://www.birdlife.org/worldwide/news/why-we-need-birds-far-more-they-need-us.

• Valeria Hidalgo‐Ruz, Guillermo Luna‐Jorquera, Marcus Eriksen, Hanna Frick, Diego Miranda‐Urbina, Matias Portflitt‐Toro, Marcelo M. Rivadeneira, Christopher J.R. Robertson, R. Paul Scofield, Juan Serratosa, Cristián G. Suazo, Martin Thiel. Factors (type, color, density, and shape) determining the removal of marine plastic debris by seabirds from the South Pacific Ocean: Is there a pattern? Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 2020; DOI: 10.1002/aqc.3453.

• Ocean Blue Project.Tessa Broholm. The Effects Of Plastic Pollution On Seabirds. Link https://oceanblueproject.org/the-effects-of-plastic-p-on-seabirds/#:~:text=Plastic%20reduces%20the%20volume%20of,are%20laid%20on%20floating%20debris.

• Civilbeat. Jack Truesdale. Maui Is No Longer Safe For Hawaii’s Endangered Birds, Biologists Say.  April 27, 2021. Link https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/04/maui-is-no-longer-safe-for-hawaiis-endangered-birds-biologists-say/.

• Sara Fraixedas, Andreas Lindén, Markus Piha, Mar Cabeza, Richard Gregory, Aleksi Lehikoinen. A state-of-the-art review on birds as indicators of biodiversity: Advances, challenges, and future directions, Ecological Indicators, Volume 118,2020,106728, ISSN 1470-160X,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106728.

• Scientific American. Drew Higgins. Light Pollution Is Causing Birds to Nest Earlier—Which Might Not Be a Bad Thing. December 15, 2020. Link https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/light-pollution-is-causing-birds-to-nest-earlier-which-might-not-be-a-bad-thing/.

• Birdlife Org. Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas. Environment program. Link https://www.birdlife.org/worldwide/programme-additional-info/important-bird-and-biodiversity-areas-ibas.