FEATHERED FRIENDS IN NEED

Extinction fears for Irish birds hit ‘tipping point’

THE number of birds in Ireland that are now threatened with extinction has soared by almost half, a study revealed yesterday.

The stark report found an alarming 54 species (46%) are now more at risk and the country is at a “tipping point”.

More than a quarter of different species (26%) are now red-listed, which means they face the highest level threat of extinction.

Two of our most iconic seabirds – the puffin and kittiwake – are globally threatened and have declined significantly in Ireland and are placed on the highest risk status.

The kestrel, once the most common and well-known bird of prey in our countryside due to its characteristic and conspicuous hovering flight, also now finds itself on the red list.

Lesley Lewis of Birdwatch Ireland, a co-author of the paper, said:

“Sadly the results of this review only go to further show how great the biodiversity crisis is.

“We really are at a tipping point for our birds and we need to realise that, and to act now. We need a combined multilateral approach from all sectors including agriculture, forestry and fisheries, with a strong lead from government.

“We know from many small locally-led projects that habitat protection, restoration and creation can make huge differences, so there is hope that the current trends can be reversed.”

The island of Ireland review uses a traffic light system to indicate the conservation status of birds using three categories –red, amber or green.

A breakdown of the figures found breeding birds of farmland and bog habitats continue to fare very poorly. Nearly 40% of the red-listed breeding birds are associated with farmland, including the corncrake, curlew, lapwing, barn owl, stock dove and grey partridge.