Red List Update - 12% Of All Known Bird Species Endangered, 192 Species Critically Endangered - BBC

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A record number of bird species are now listed as threatened with extinction, a global assessment has revealed. The IUCN Red List evaluation considered 1,227, or 12%, of all known bird species to be at risk, with 192 species described as Critically Endangered.

The main threats affecting bird numbers continued to be agriculture, logging and invasive species, the report said. However, it added that where conservation measures had been put in place, bird populations had recovered. "It is extremely worrying that the number of Critically Endangered birds on the IUCN Red List continues to increase, despite successful conservation initiatives around the world," said Simon Stuart, chairman of the IUCN's Species Survival Commission.

The latest assessment, carried out by BirdLife International, uplisted nine species to Critically Endangered.

One species to be listed as Critically Endangered in the global survey, which began in 1988, was the gorgeted puffleg (Eriocnemis isabellae), a colourful hummingbird that was only recently described for the first time. Conservationists say that the species only has about 1,200 hectares of habitat remaining in the cloud forests of south-west Colombia. Yet, they add, about 8% of this area is being lost every year as a result of commercial coca plantations.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8045971.stm