THREATENED BIRDS
A study conducted by a team of the Yale University, the Simon Fraser University and the Zoological Society of London, shows the world's one hundred most endangered bird species. The study analyses 9993 species of birds, his kinships, habitats and the risks of disappearance. This study focuses on the species which deserve all the efforts to their conservation.
Copyright © 2024 Juan L. Castillo
Cyanopsitta spixii
Original Illustration, 480x330 mm. 2017
The Spix's macaw is a species that became extinct in the Wild, endemic to the state of Bahia, in the northeast of Brazil, where it used to inhabited vast areas of a semi-arid territory known as Caatinga. Within this ecosystem, the Spix's macaws would populate the riparian forests of Caraibeira (Tebebuia aurea), a tree belonging to the Bignoniaceae family which would provide the cavities needed to install their nests in addition to protection and food.2
Gymnogyps californianus
Original illustation, 480x330 mm. 2016
The California condor is one of the five genera and one of the seven species of the Cathartidae family. It is a strict scavenger and one of the largest flying birds, measuring between 115-140 cm long with an approximate weight of 10 kilos. IUCN Red List includes it in the critically endangered species category.2
Sephanoides fernandensis & Dendroseris litoralis. ASTERACEAE
Original illustration, 480x330 mm. 2015
The Juan Fernández firecrown, Sephanoides fernandensis, is a hummingbird endemic to Robinson Crusoe Island, located in Chile, in the archipelago of Juan Fernández, designated as a National Park in 1935 and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1977.
This species shows one of the highest levels of sexual dimorphism (the difference between males and females of the same species) of all the hummingbirds in the world. They feed on the nectar of several plants like Dendroseris litoralis, a tree belonging to the Asteraceae family which is also endemic to the Juan Fernández Islands. They both are critically endangered species according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Psittacus erithacus
Original illustration, 480x330mm. 2017
The African Grey Parrot, is an Old World parrot in the Psittacidae family. Threatened by the degradation of its habitat and the indiscriminate sale as a pet. That’s why the IUCN Red List has listed it as endangered on its Red List of threatened and endangered species.
Paradisaea minor
Original illustration, 480x330mm. 2016
The Lesser Bird of Paradise in the Paradisaeidae family ,is one of the 42 species distributed throughout the lowland and hill forests of northern New Guinea and its offshore islands: Misool and Yapen. Although evaluated as “Least Concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, its habitat destruction and deforestation are a serious threat to their survival.
Alcedo atthis
Original illustration, 480x330mm. 2018
The common kingfisher is a small bird in the Alcedinidae family with a wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. This species prefers still or gently flowing water with plenty of small fish, and with reeds, rushes or shrubs on the banks for perches. Males and females are very similar except for their beaks. A male’s beak is jet black, while the lower half of a female’s beak is orange. Juvenile’s are slightly more green and duller than adults. Common kingfishers are important members of ecosystems and good indicators of freshwater community health. Kingfishers are very sensitive to cold weather and a particularly harsh winter can seriously reduce kingfisher populations. However, they are not listed by the IUCN Red List. In Greek mythology, kingfishers were thought to be the Halcyon bird, with the power to control the wind and waves.
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