News Preventing Extinctions

The White-rumped Vulture (Critically Endangered) is now on the increase in Nepal © Wade Tregaskis / Flickr

Celebrating 10 years of saving Asia’s vultures...

Thu, 15/04/2021
For the past decade, BirdLife is immensely proud to have been part of SAVE: a continent-wide collaboration to bring Asia’s vultures back from the brink. Join us in celebrating SAVE’s ground-breaking achievements over this time.
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WorldwideIndiaIranNepalOman
Rice field in Sumatra, Indonesia © Nico Boersen / Pixabay

Sustainable farming & forestry could reduce...

Thu, 08/04/2021
Making timber and crop production sustainable would address some of the biggest drivers of wildlife decline. This finding comes from a new tool, STAR, that allows companies, governments and civil society to accurately measure their progress in stemming global species loss.
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WorldwideIndonesia
Staff have been been monitoring water quality at Tonle Sap Great Lake © NatureLife Cambodia

BirdLife welcomes new Partner: NatureLife Cambodia

Wed, 31/03/2021
Despite being one of the most biodiverse countries in Asia, Cambodia had no national NGOs working directly on conservation as recently as 15 years ago. BirdLife set out to change that, and in 2004 established a country programme. Fast forward to 2021 and NatureLife Cambodia is the newest Partner in the BirdLife flock.
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WorldwideCambodia
Captive-reared Southern Ground Hornbills are tutored by a wild alpha male © Arno Meintjes / Flickr

Latest research: Hornbills sent to school, turtle...

Tue, 23/03/2021
Join us for a bite-sized round-up of advances published in our journal Bird Conservation International. Highlights include the complexities of reintroducing hornbills to the wild, the truly devastating scale of European Turtle-dove hunting, and a newly-identified Spoon-billed Sandpiper moulting site.
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WorldwideChina
With 3m wingspan, Andean Condor is one of the largest flying birds © Don Mammoser / Shutterstock

Red List update: the plight of the condor

Tue, 16/02/2021
Andean Condors are becoming increasingly scarce because of habitat loss, poisoning and persecution. They’re now considered Vulnerable as of the latest Red List update, leading us to ask: has the vulture poisoning crisis spread to the Americas?
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WorldwideBoliviaChileEcuador
The Sarus Crane can reach six feet tall © Jonathan Eames

Second chance for Cambodia’s big birds

Tue, 05/01/2021
For a suspenseful three years, Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary seemed doomed. But now, changed policies, changed hearts and a new organic rice scheme promises hope for the forest landscape’s villagers, businesses and giant birds.
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WorldwideCambodia
Madagascar pond-heron with internuptial plumage © Gilles ADT

Restoring wet meadows to protect the Madagascar...

Tue, 22/12/2020
Wet meadows are critical reservoirs of biodiversity, but they have declined in Mayotte due to pollution, urbanization and invasive species, among others. Restoration efforts have been ongoing since August 2020 to protect critical breeding sites for the Madagascar Pond-heron.
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AfricaMadagascar
The Red-legged Partridge is now Near Threatened due to over-hunting and habitat loss © Pierre Dalous

Red List 2020: seven things you might have missed

Fri, 18/12/2020
The carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” may soon need to become one verse shorter as a European partridge is listed as Near Threatened. Meanwhile, paradise is restored for one flycatcher, proving that conservation can achieve great things. Explore these and more in our round-up of fascinating under-the-radar findings from this year’s Red List update…
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WorldwideBhutanChinaIndiaNew ZealandPapua New GuineaPeruSeychellesSpain
The Andean Condor is now classed as Vulnerable to extinction © reisegraf.ch / Shutterstock

Red List 2020: Andean Condor heads list of...

Mon, 14/12/2020
Poisoned, poached, persecuted – iconic raptors such as the Andean Condor, Secretarybird and Martial Eagle have moved to higher threat categories in this year’s update to the IUCN Red List, sparking fears that the crisis that brought many Asian and African vultures to the edge of extinction has spread to new continents and species.
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WorldwideBoliviaChileColombiaEcuador
The Golden White-eye pollinates many of the islands' plants © Peter / Flickr

Golden White-eye dodges danger of invasive snake

Thu, 03/12/2020
For years, conservationists feared that this tiny songbird would fall prey to invasive tree snakes that had decimated bird populations on nearby islands. Thankfully, biosecurity measures seem to be holding back the invasion, bringing hope for this Critically Endangered species.
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WorldwideNorthern Mariana Islands
Egyptian Vulture © Ivostyle / Shutterstock

5 ways we've helped vultures in the past 5...

Tue, 03/11/2020
When our first campaign to save African vultures started in 2015, global awareness and political recognition of these majestic raptors were in their infancy. Discover just a few examples of the fantastic achievements that BirdLife supporters helped to kick-start, and find out how you can help us step up our action to the next level.
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WorldwideIndiaKenyaNepalNigeriaSouth AfricaZambia
30 Bojer's Skinks were evacuated from Ile de la Passe © Mauritian Wildlife Foundation

Reptile rescue mission after devastating...

Thu, 29/10/2020
When an oil freighter ran aground within a few kilometres of Mauritian nature reserves, local conservationists rushed in to rescue three globally threatened lizard species found nowhere else. The reptiles were moved to a captive breeding programme that could provide a vital lifeline.
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WorldwideMauritius
The Iberian Lynx is still around thanks to the hard work of conservationists © Nathan Ranc

Conservation action has prevented at least 28...

Thu, 10/09/2020
A new study shows just how effectively conservation action slows extinction rates, calculating that at least 28 bird and mammal species would have been lost since 1993 without intervention. The message is clear – with enough support, we can halt the extinction crisis.
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Worldwide

Cartoons show fascinating life, shocking...

Tue, 18/08/2020
With a touch of comedy, India-based cartoonist Rohan Chakravarty uses his illustrations to give a view of the world through a bird’s eyes and present thought-provoking conservation messages. Explore the fascinating habits and shocking hardships of the Helmeted Hornbill: a Critically Endangered species.
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WorldwideBurmaIndonesiaMalaysiaThailand
There are only 50 Javan Pied Starlings left in the wild - and 1 million in cages © Ding Li Yong

More caged birds than wild: Javan songbird crisis...

Wed, 12/08/2020
In Java, there are now more songbirds in cages than in forests. Fierce demand for lucrative song competitions is driving multiple species to the brink – but in a region where bird-keeping is a cultural mainstay, complex solutions are required.
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WorldwideIndonesia
This is one helmet that sadly does not provide protection © Craig Ansibin / Shutterstock

How we're helping the Helmeted Hornbill to...

Fri, 31/07/2020
Teetering on the edge of extinction due to demand for its prized 'casque', the Helmeted Hornbill now finds itself with a fighting chance of survival thanks to bolstered law enforcement and patrols of its dwindling forest habitat
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Lappet-faced Vulture © Ben Jobson

How Kenya is healing toxic relationship between...

Tue, 23/06/2020
With their hunched posture, bald heads and their use in cartoons to represent opportunistic greed, vultures are arguably the most misunderstood scavengers. Humans have long considered them to be the outcasts of the animal kingdom, and due to their association with death, they are feared and reviled. Yet, their swift response means carcasses are picked clean before disease particles can take hold.
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AfricaKenya
White-rumped Vulture © Deepak Sankat

Latest research: vulture and ibis recovery,...

Tue, 16/06/2020
The world may have ground to a halt during the COVID-19 crisis, but researchers around the globe are still writing and publishing papers on key scientific discoveries. Here are three recent highlights from across the Birdlife Partnership.
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