State of the world's birds

• Stable isotope analysis reveals the wintering grounds of the Aquatic Warbler
• The wintering grounds of Northern Bald Ibis in Syria have been discovered using satellite tracking
• Investigating the causes of Sociable Lapwing declines
• Tracking devices provide new insights into seabird distribution
• Satellite Imagery and Seabird Conservation

The first priority in trying to address population declines in a species is to understand the causes of decline. Where these are not immediately apparent, targeted research may be necessary. Such research needs to look at species at all stages of their life-cycle—in migratory species for example it may be factors at wintering grounds or on migration routes rather than at breeding sites that are causing problems (, , ). While sometimes it becomes evident that there are multiple causes of a decline, sometimes a single factor is found to be responsible.

• Nest protection and brood manipulation has helped the Mauritius Parakeet to recover
• Bermuda Petrel is being conserved through translocation and provision of artificial nest-sites
• Bird Conservation Nepal is establishing safe ‘diclofenac free’ feeding sites for vultures
• Translocating Rimatara Lorikeets to Atiu, Cook Islands
• Eradicating introduced mammals from Clipperton Island led to dramatic recovery of seabirds
• Raising public awareness to save the Yellow-eared Parrot
• Simple changes to fishing methods can get seabirds off the hook
• BirdLife’s Albatross Task Force is bridging the gap between conservationists and fishermen
• Back from the brink: four Critically Endangered species saved from extinction
• Habitat restoration has led to the recovery of the Azores Bullfinch
• The Hong Kong Birdwatching Society is helping local groups raise conservation awareness in schools
• A 27,000km voyage of conservation has helped safeguard some of the world’s most imperiled seabirds
• BirdLife Partners are helping to restore island ecosystems by eradicating invasive alien species
• An ambitious eradication project is currently underway on the Antarctic island of South Georgia

Species-specific conservation interventions for highly threatened species may take a variety of forms, from protecting nests (), creating artificial nest-sites (), providing supplementary food (, ), translocating birds (), eradicating invasive species (, , , ), mitigating incidental mortality in fisheries (, ) or launching species-specific campaigns and awareness-raising to tackle specific issues (, ).

• Banning lead shot and captive breeding were crucial in saving Californian Condor from extinction
• Captive breeding and release of Asian Crested Ibis: linking Japan and China
• Rat eradication and captive breeding have helped save the Campbell Islands Teal from extinction

Captive-breeding is generally regarded a last resort, to be fallen back on when all other attempts at conservation have failed. The ultimate aim of captive-breeding projects is always to support conservation of species in the wild. Reintroduction is usually a difficult, expensive and time-consuming undertaking, but can be successful (, , ).

• Over ten years, action by BirdLife Partners and others prevented the extinction of 16 bird species
• Species Guardians and Species Champions: taking and funding action for the most threatened species

Where threats are tackled through directed interventions, conservation can succeed. Some species have been brought back from the brink of extinction in spectacular fashion. At least 16 species would undoubtedly have gone extinct in the last decade alone without the conservation action they received (). However, action is urgently required for many more species; BirdLife’s Preventing Extinctions Programme is tackling this by greatly increasing actions directed specifically at highly threatened birds ().