ENDANGERED BIRDS
Transcription
ENDANGERED BIRDS
BIRDS ENDANGERED N.J. Collar lntemdtiotal BirdLife t. Introduction tI. The Identification of EndangeredBirds I . Trends and Factors in the Endangerment of Birds lv. Approaches to the Conservation of Threatened Birds GLOSSARY biological species concept Concept of a species as a population or series of populations that are reproductively isolated from other groups, as well as the degree of morphological similarity. endangerment Condition in which a sPeciesis at risk oI extinction. phylogenetic species concept Concept of a sPeciesin *'hich speciesJevelidentity is determined by menbers sharins distinct characteristics. ENDANGERED BIRDS ARE DEFINED CHIEFLY AT THE SPECIESLEVEL (although the definition of "species" remains contentious), and at the global and narional levels. New global criteria apply thresholds on decline rate, population size, and range size to ldentify endangerment. Some I 10,6of the world's avifauna are at risk, but altogether 20% of species give cause for concem. Most endangered birds (70%) have popula- tions of lessthan 10,000mature individuals. The Philippines, Indonesia,Brazil, and Colombia possessthe most significant proportions of endangeredbirds. Tropical forest loss is the greatest threat, but there are many other reasonsfor elevatedvulnerability (through range restriction, occurrenceon islands,use ofrestdcted habitat. etc.). Remedial actions include detailed research and documentation, site and habitat protection, and intensive multilaceted managementprograms. I.INTRODUCTION Endangerment is the condition in which a speciesor subspeciesof animal or plant is at risk of extinction. The nature of the impending extinction may be local, national, or global. There is no vocabulary to differentiate between these conditions; as a consequ€nce,there is often confusion over appropriate priority levels. A trend to use extirpationto indicate nonglobal extinction brings its own problems, since the active verb extirpate is sy'non)-mouswith eradicate;thereis also the problem that disappearing subspeciesof species may be both extinct 4r1dextirpated (extinct as taxonomically distinct forms, extirpated as representativesof a hiSher taxonomic unit). This article conc€ntratesprimarily on bird speciesat risk of global extinction, but nationally and locally endangeredforms, including subspecies,are also consideredi so extiry*ted is here used to mean locally extinct. The terms mdangered, threatened, and. at rish Enq(lopeaia o! Biodrenitt, volude 2 Copyright O 20ol by Acad.nic Press. All rights of reProduction in any tom r6erved 395 396 E N D A NG E R E DB I R D S are commonly used interchangeably; endangeredis prevalent in U.S. usage,but IUCN/The World Conservation Union status categories\se threateted.as a generic term ^nd Endangered (with a capital E) for a particular status. ln this article, endangered. is preferred, exceptin contexts involving the IUCN threat categories. II. THEIDENTIFICATION OF ENDANGERED BIRDS A. Taxonomy andtheldentification of TargetUnits ln general,decision makers look to sciencein two ways for help in establishing pdorities in speciesconservation: the first is the degreeof a taxon's risk o[extinction, and the secondis the degreeofits evolutionary differentiation. Many people are surprised that these aspects, particularly the second, remain hard to assess.Ever since the passing of the United StatesEndangeredSpecies Act, the term "endangered species" has become widely used in popular and indeed jocular English parlance; so it seems extraordinary that debate still rages over what a speciesis. Nonetheless,its definition is a pewasive problem, and the profile of this issue will increaseas more morphologically distinct, local forms, currently considered subspecies,come under pressure from human developmentactivilies. When considering closelyrelated taxa in which there is no geographical contact, and therefore no test for reproductive isolation (the key criterion under the prevalent Biological SpeciesConcept or BSC), taxonomists are compelled to rely on the degreeoftheir morphological similarity to judge, subjectively, whether they are conspecific or not. Among birds there are thousandsof such cases,in part becauseflight has allowed them to colonize so many offshore and oceanic islands, where they have evolved features that distinguish them at some level Irom continental or other island stock. Some influential museum-basedomithologists have recently advocateda narrow phylogenetic speciesconcept (PSC),which bestowsspecies-levelidentity on any population whose members fully share distinct characters,irrespectiveof hybrid zones.Many ofthese populations currently have taxonomic standing as subspecies, and proponents of the PSCexpect its adoption to cause a doubling of the number o{ avian species, to about 20,000 from the roughly 9500 in current usage.However, BSC supporters contend that, rather than clarifying the status of disjunct populadons, the PSC shifts the difficulty to a yetmore complex and subjectivelevel, where very minor differences (sometimes biochemical only, and certainly not used to recognize even subspecies) may or may not be regardedas suffrciently distinct and consistent to admit species-levelstatus, so that no final number ofavian speciescan be even approximated. This debateis important, not leastbecausebiological diversity is directly at stake.Someyearsago th€ Birdlife Red Data Book program eliminated subspeciesfrom its concern, on the basis that there were simply too many to document and that specieshad to take prioriry. This decision, made with the knowledge that many threatened subspecieswill benefit from site managementfor threatened specieswith which they are sympatric, still tends to exposesome subspecies,especiallythose with small ranges and therefore with relatively constrained populations, to the vagariesof deteriorating global conditions. Unless a country is as wealthy as the United States,whose legislation embracessubspeciesand indeed populations, or has little or no other biological heritage in which to invest (for birds, Barbadosis one such). the chances of intervention on behalf of these forms are relatively low. Nevertheless,subspeciesare far less stable as taxonomic entities than are species,and are easily erected and just as easily subsumed (prior to 1950 at least two museum ornithologists, Oberholser and Koelz, each established over I00 subspeciesin the course of a single paper!). Becauseof this, they are generally unwelcome in law, which requires widespreadlong-tern agreement on taxonomy to be able to function. Consequently, speciesrather than subspeciesare the units of concern in most national and international legislation. Partly perhaps as a consequenceo[ this, many omithologists seemwilling to countenancethe steady,consistent "unlumping" of many forms, on the basis of multiple character differences extending beyond morphology to voice, behavior, and even habitat. For conservation purposes this process needs to be expedited to ensure that specific identity is not bestowed too late forintervention. However, the elevationof many weakly distinct forms to species level may actually make the identification of conservation targets harder, for if resourcesare insufficient to support all the resulting endangered species, many deserving cases (in terms of their evolutionary distinctiveness) might be lost amid the compedng claims o[ virtual look-alikes. B. Scale andtheldentification of TargetUnits Birds can be endangeredat the global, broad regional (e.9., subcontinental), national, narrow regional (e.g., E N D A N G E R E DB I R D S provincial), and local levels. It is entirely legidmate for countries and specialist interests to seek to "red-list" (i.e., list as endangered)bird taxa at thesevarious levels' although as the scalebecornessmaller, the various legitimate causesmay, theoretically at least,begin to conflict with one another. However, decreasingscale is widely acceptedas correlating with decreasingPriority, so conflicts of interest are unusual. Global endangermentis the most important priority level, since total extinction is a far worse risk than any other form. ln th€ past 35 years or so, global endangerment of birds has been registered principally through the RedDataBook program ofthe lnternational Council for Bird Preservation(now Birdlife lntemational). This program, acceptedby IUCN/The World Conservation Union as the official source of globally threatenedbird listings, has developedinto a long-term, continent-oriented project to created€tailed profiles of every endangered species (Collar and Stuart, 1985; Coll^t et al., 1992; Collar et al., 1999), based on the rationale that all information relevant to a species's conservadon should be included. This in turn has led to the need for abbreviated global listings (Collar et aI , 1994). The speciesthat have found their way into these full and abbreviated Red Data Books are normally found on national "red lists," but not always at the expected priorit) level, owing to the various algorithms that nonglobal assessmenttends to involve. Thus an apparently Iogical ranking system in the 1984 South AJrican Red Dat.1Book; Birds resulted in widespread and common speciessuch as EgJptian Vultu:'e (Neophronpercnopt' enrs) and House M artin (Delichonurbica)-both found in Europe, the latter in huge numbers-coming out higher (2/102 ar:.d6/102, respectively) than the topranking globally threatened South African endemic Rudd's Lark (HeteromiraJrq ruddii)(22/ 102) . Much more frequently a speciesis declared nationally endangeredwithout being globally endangered,alrhough the issuesat stakemay sometimesbe so momentous that global endangerment is often assumed.This is the case with the Houbara (Chlamydotis undulata), judged by many to be unsustainably exploited by Gulf State hunters in most of its range and yet on Central Asian evid€nce still outside the IUCN criteria thresholds. Similarly, the Spotted Owl (Strir occidefillis) is an endangeredspeciesunder U.S. law, but it still misses the IUCN criteria because its populations north and south o[ its U.S. range render it unlikely to die out within a relatively short time frame. However, clearly the most important red list after the slobal list must be at the national level, and somewhat iurprisingly this emphasis has been increased by the 397 recently inaugurated Convention on Biological Diversity. Although the Convention has a supposedlyglobal remit and ovewiew, it has devolved responsibility for actions in defenseof biodiversity to national agencies as framed by natiotal perceptions. Parties to the Convention thus sornewhat unfortunately run the risk of focusing only on elements of their natural Patrimony that they regard as relevant, at the expense of species identified through intemational perspectives. of C. Criteriafor theIdentification TargetUnits Under protocols still being developed by IUCN/The World Conservation Union, the global redJisting of a taxon may occur only if its conservationstatusisjudged to satisfy at least one of a set of universal quandtative criteria (IUCN Species Suwival Commission, I99't). Since a species can only become extinct by decreases in population and range size, these criteria set thresholds on these parametersas well as on decline rate by which to measureeligibility for and degreeo[threatened status. In IUCN terminology, the word thredtenedmeans what has hitherto b een called otdangered, whereas "Endangered' denotes a specific conservation status. ln crude form, the criteda stipulate that, to qualifu as threaten€d,a speciesmust possessa total population (A) declining at a rate (projected or past) of 20% over I0 years or three generations,or (B) within a range of less than 20,000 kmt and decLining,or (C) of less than 10,000 mature individuals and declining, or (DI) of less than 1000 mature individuals, or (D2) within a range of less than 100 kmr. SPeciesmeeting any one of these criteria qualify as threatened with the category Vulnerable; nested thresholds qualify species for the categoriesEndangeredand Critically Endangered.Subspeciescan be subjected to the same criteria, but this may result in the curious circumstancewhere all races of a species qualify as at risk (e.8., all five races of an island specieswith declining populations of under 10,000) but the speciesitselfdoes not (total population still above 40,000). The general experiencewith birds, almost certainly as with all animals and plans, is that populations tend to be significantly underestirnated: for example, one observeron the N€w Caledonian island of Uveajudged there to be 70-90 Uvea (Horned) Parakeets (Eunymphi' cus (comutus) uvesnsis)in 1993, but more intensive fieldwork later that year yielded a formal estimate of 617 'r i79- Similarlv, a CAMP (Conservation Assessment and Management Plan) run by the Captive Breeding SpecialistGroup of IUCN in 1992 suggesteda total 398 E N D A NG E R E DB I R D S population oI som€ 5000 Tanimbar Corellas (Cacatua goffni), whereas analysisof quantified data from fieldwork that same year produced an estimateof 300,000400,000 birds. Consequently,liss of threatenedspecies cannot be expected to remain shbl€: while some will be added over time as their situation deteriorates or their taxonomy is revised. others will be removed as their true status is revealed. In 1988, 1030 bird specieswere idendfied as at risk of extinction. In 1994, this figure, based on the new IUCN criteria, rose to lll l. It was not, however, the case that 8l specieswere added to the 1988 complement. ln fact only 816 specieswere common to both lists. The 214 disappearancesfrom and 295 addirions to the 1994 list largely resulted from new "pioneering" knowledge (involving new areasor new identification insights) rather than from "monitoring" updates that disclosed a clear trend. Exploration is thus still the strongest biological data source, and "rare" species(for which see Kunin and Gaston, 1998) sometimes prove to be relatively common in some part of their range, or in some previously uninvestigated habitat. Consequently, attempts to predict future extincdon rates using changes in red lists have been premature: the changesin question are not real-world events (Crosby et 4.1..1996). A degree of red list stability derives from some species being destined to remain endangeredin perpetuit).. This is b€causeof their irremediably small ranges or populations (a circumstance that has made the criteria unpopular in some quart€rs,since no active threat need exisl to lrigger the listing). These are species-avian examples including the tava Gull (Larus Juliginosus), with 300-400 pairs maximum, and the Tinian Monarch (Monarcha ta.hatsuh4s4e), on an island of less than I00 km2 despite its estimared 40,000 individuals-for which the price of survival is eternal vigilance. Appropriate criteria for use at the national level are still under development by IUCN; meanwhile, a good model is that of Avery ef al. (in Coulson and Crockford, 1995). III, TRENDS ANDFACTORS IN THE ENDANGERMENT OFBIRDS A. GloballyThreatened Birdsin 1994: Numbers, Criteria,andExtinction RatePredictions The l11l bird speciesjudged to b€ at risk of extinction in 1994 representedI l% of the world's avifauna.Mor€- over, a further 66 (I%) specieswere then listed as Data Deficient and 875 (9%) as Near-Threatened, so that altogether over 20% of all bird specieswere identified as being of some global conservation concem. The majority ofthreatened specieswere classifiedasVulnerable (7O4,63ok),w1th235(2196)Endangeredand 168 (15%) Critically Endangered. The commonest criterion triggered by threatened birds was C, which combines small population (<10,000) with significant decline. As many as 764 species(approaching 70o6)of all rhreatenedbirds were judged (or, under the precautionary principle, thought likely) to fulfill this criterion; thus 8o/oofall bird species are known or suspectedto have dangerouslylow populations. The other four criteria proved to be rather evenly dist buted: A (rapid decline) and B (small range with significant decline) were triggered b1' around 400 species each, with somewhat smaller numbers triggering D1 (very small population) and D2 (very small range). The new IUCN criteria attach hlporhetical probabilities o[ extinction to the differenr caregoriesof threat, on which basis400 speciesma1'be expectedto become extinct.without remedialacrion,in rhe comingcentury; however.it will take 1750 years for 900,6of the llII listed threatenedspeciesto disappear.Comparison with the 1988 listing allo*,ed three differ€nr listing recruitment rates to be tested on rwo models, indicating that q'ith current trends between 400 and 1200 speciesof bird may die out within the nexr 100 years,with a rime to extinction for half the planet's avilauna (ca.4850 species) of 800-2800 years (Crosby et al., 1996). Although these figures are less pessimistic than other recent estimatesderived from less robust data, human pressureson the environment will only increasein the foreseeablefuture, so these extinction rates will probablv orove much too conservative. B. GloballyThreatened Birds:Regions, Countries, Habitats The majority of threatened bird species occur in Asia and the New World, with relatively few in Africa. The top ten countries for the high€st numbers of threatened speciesare lndonesia (104), Brazil (I03), Philippines and China (both 86), lndia (71), Colombia (62). Peru (60), Ecuador (50), United Sutes (46), and Vietnam (45). Asian countries predominate in rhis list: the United Statesranks high becauseof its Pacific territories. The highest African countdes, ranking 2lst and 22nd, are Tanzania (30) and Madagascar(28). Prio ty countries might be selected on rhis basis, E N D A N G E R E DB I R D S but severalfurther filters can be applied. Becausespecies in the higher categoriesof threat are likely to become extinct sooner, a reranking involving just those 403 speciesthat are either Critically Endangeredor Endangered .vieldsa top ten of Brazil (47), Philippines (45), Colombia (31), United Sates (25), lndonesia and Mexico (20 each), Peru (18), and Vietnam, Ecuador, and .{rgentina (16 each). Using this category, the emphasis shifts dramatically to the New world. A further filter involves only those speciesfrom the preceding analysisthat are nationally endemic, thereby indicating the degree of "ultimate resPonsibility" that falls to thesecountries as their most urgent bird conservation task. The Philippines (40) emerge far ahead of Brazil (32). itsell far ahead of Colombia (24), United States (17), Mexico (13), Indonesia and New Zealand (12 each),Australia (II), Madagascar(10), and Peru (9). Although it was fairly obvious from the first analysis, given their small land area, that the Philippines would be a priority area, this refined analysis offers startling evidenceofthe critical imPortanceofthe country in terms of avian biodiversity and its impending loss. The catastrophic erasure o[ forests from the planet in the course of the twentieth century means that most threatened birds are (mostly tropical) forest dwellers; the only surprising thing is that the figure is as low as 65%. Wetland species account for 9%, scrubland for another 97o, and grassland for 6%. The reladvely low forest representation can be explained in pan by the fact that the largest tracts o[ forest, in Amazonia, the Congo basin, and Borneo, are-despite the destruction visited upon them-still too extensive,and the species they contain too widespread, to have resulted in more than a handful of listings from these areas. in Birds of Endangerment C. Causes Endangered birds suffer from a range of different rhreats. Some 52oloof them are affectedby habitat loss rnd degradation(although this figure is almost certainly higher: indeed, low-level and hence unreported habitat loss could probably safely be indicated for the other 48%); this theme is explored in the following paragraphs. The next most important threat is simPly restriction of range or population, involving 23% of all threatened birds. Hunting afflicts 8%, introduced species 6%, and trade 3%. Until recently the notion that habitat lossv/asimportant in the demise of the Passeng€rPigeon (Ectopist€s migratoius) had not been entertained, but Bucher (1992) showed how the specieswas a specialiston seeds produced in masting eventswhose scaleand geographic 399 location varied from year to year, that is, that were patchy in both space and time. Human settlement of the east and center of the North American continent fragmented the native forests to the point where the lapsein both time and distancebetween masting events simplybecame too great.Despite the settlers'prodigious slaughter of birds, which has always been blamed for their disappearance,it aPpearsthat it may have been their axes, not their guns, that caused the loss of their quarry; the last wild birds very possibly st4rvedto death. An equally celebratedNorth AmericansPecies,Perhaps still extant, is the Eskimo Curlew (Numenius bore' clis), which, like the PassengerPigeon, used to be hunted in phenomenal nunbers in the nineteenth century and likewise never recovered after the slaughter finally abated.It seemslikely, however, that the loss of its Argentine grassland wintering grounds and North American prairie spring stopover sites was to blame. Loss of stopover habitat is beginning to supplant hunting (never a convincing case)as the best explanation for rhe virtual disappearanceof the closely related Slenderbilled Curlew (N. tenuirostris),which breedsin westem Siberia and migrates southwest to the Medit€nanean basin, almost certainly using the once extensive eastwest Russian steppesalong the way. Other notable examples of this space/time vulnerability include the Thick-billed Parrot (Rhynchopsittap4' chy rhyncha), P urple-winged Ground-dove (Cl ar at is godeJnda), Andean (Phoenicopterusandinus), and Puna Flamingos (P. jamesi), Lesser Florican (Sypheotides iv dica), and Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno). The parrot shows the sarnetrait as the Passenger Pigeon,since it is dependenton pine seed,a notoriously unpredictable resource. The speciesis nomadic, but as its native pine forests in Mexico's Sierra Madre are further fragmented, there is a serious danger that a conecrop failure will leave the last populations "stranded" too far from food for any to suruive. The ground-dove specializeson the seedsof forest bamboo in southeast Brazil. So much forest has been destroyed within its range,and bamboo seedsetis so temporally patchy, that the specieshas become one of the rarest in the country. The flamingos move between lakes in search of appropriate conditions (which shift over tim€) and are therefore exposed to the possibility that human damage to even a small number of sites may one day leave the species with nowhere to go. The florican selecs different grassland sites from year to year in rMestem India, depending on the effects of local rainfall. Grassland is under enormous human pressure in India, and conserving tracts that may be empty of birds for several yearsat a time isnot a simPleproposition. Post-breeding 400 E N D A N G E R E DB I R D S quetzals are now known to make complex short-distancemovements to severaldifferent aleas.so that manv more tracts o[ forest than one or two may be needei to ensure the long-term survival of viable populations of this species. ln Australia, many birds have been affected by human alrcradon of the natural fire regime. The Paradise Parrot (Psephotus pulcherimus) almost certainly became extinct (it may conceivably survive somewhere) owing to new buming pattems that suited livestock but not the grasseson whose seeds the parrot subsisted. Similar problems afflict the food supply of the Goldenshouldered Parrot (P, chrysopterygius)and the habitat of the Noisy Scrub-bird (Atichomis clamosus). The reasonwhy restriction of range ranks so highly in the list of thr€ats is becauseany cause of decline is likely to affect the endre speciestoo quickly for human intervention to help. Such speciesare often restricted to islands, and when those islands are oceanic, the birds have usually evolved in the absenceofcontinental pressuresfrom mammalian predators.As a consequence they are behaviorally and physically adapred in ways that leave them highly vulnerable when continental predators become established within their ranges, through either the direct or indirect agencyo[ humans. These behavioral adaptations are not degenerative. The Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) was given its name from the Portugueseslang for "stupid," doido.But island animals that are €ntirely tame, or that nest in what to human eyesare ludicrously undefended places,or that have lost the function of their wings ar€ not evolutionary failures. On the contrary, theseseeminglydisadvantageous attributes are th€ result of continuing evolutionary pressures. Wings cost en€rgy to carry and maintain, and in the absenceof predators they offer no retum on the investm€nt in such energy.Shynesscosts its possessorsdearly if less shy creatures have more time to exploit whatever resource is at stake. Nesting in inaccessibleplacesis needlesslyexpensivei[ there is no risk in nesting on the ground in the open. Moreover, the relatively stable conditions on tropical islands tend to promote marked K-selected traits (e.g., slow reproductive rates).So the very things that render island birds so vulnerable to aggressive,fast-breeding,continental animals have actually been selectedJor through narrower, often intraspecific competition. Most avian extinctions since 1600 have been on islands (King, in Moors, 1985), and a significant number of threatenedbirds today are island species.The impact of rats has been and remains massive(seeAtkinson. in Moors, 1985): Magenh Petrel (Pterodromamagentae), Zino's Petrel (P. madeira), Tuamotu Sandpiper (Proso- bonia cancellata), Po\.nesian Ground-dove (Gallicolumba erythroptera), Seychelles Paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone comina), and Rarotonga Monarch (Pomorea dimidiata) are a few of the Critically Endangered birds whose fate is directly linked to the invasion o[ their islands by rats. ln some caseswhere cats have also been introduced, it is not clear which predator is the greater culprit, and these affected speciesoften live on larger islands where very little can be done to help. The New Caledonian Rail (Gallirallus lclresncyus), Cuba's Zapata Rail (Cyanolimnascen/erai), the SamoanMoorhen (Gqllinula sylvestris), and virtually the entire endemic avifauna of Hawaii (the linle of it that survives, but notably the honeycreepers,Drepanididae) are good examplesof this uncertainty and impotence. Cats alone are responsible for the plight of some species,such as Townsend's Shearwater (Puffnus auricularis), Socorro Dove (Zenaido.graysoni), and the Marquesan Grounddove (Gallicolumbarubesrens).Mongooses,which were often released to devour rats or control snakes, are major threats to speciessuch as Hawaiian Duck (Ancs w_yvilliana)and St Lucias Semper'sWarbler (Leucopeza semperi). Ancient lakes, like oceanic islands, often harbor endemic faunas and floras that are highly susceptible ro exotic introductions. Among the birds, the grebe family Podicepitidae has been particularly hard hit, with the Alaotra Grebe (TachybaptusruJolavatus)of Madagascar and Junin Grebe (Podiceps taczarowshit) of Peru close to extinction; the Aritldn Grebe (Podylimbus gigas) of Guatemala and Colombian Grebe (Podiceps atdinus) have already vanished. Linear water bodies may similarly expose certain speciesto extinction risks from a single event or sedes o[ events: Scaly-sidedMerganser (Mergus squamatus), Brazilian Merganser (M. octosetaceus), Wrybill (Anarhynchus Jrontalis), Rufous-throated Dipper (Cinclus schulzi), and Luzon Water-redstart (Rhyacomis bicolor) are all vulnerable in this way. Moreover, species that concentrate in a small area for even part of their life cycle may be abnormally exposedto danger. For example, the entire world population of Ascension Frig^tebird.(Fregato.o.quila)breedson a single stack smaller than a municipal parking lot- Even birds that are briefly drawn to individual fruiting trees are liable to suffer: as many as 40 VisayanWrinkled Hombills (Aceroswaldeni) were shot in a single tree over the course of a single day in October, 1997,an event that quite possibly killed 50% of the population. The foregoing examples represent "spatial" threats. Other threats are better characterized as "temooral-" involving a seemingly innocenr event whose conse- E N D A N G E R E DB I R D S 40t ger (Conothraupis mesoleuca, Brazil), Cherry-throated quencescannot be remedied by the time they become Tanager(Nemosiarourei, Brazil),Ibadan Malimbe (Malapparent.Ne*'Zealand's Kaka (Nestorm endionalis)and imbus ibadanansis,southem Nigeria), and lsabela Oriole Yelloshead (Mohoua ochrocephala)face enormous dif(Oriolus isabellae,Ltzon, Philippines) . All are bafflingly ficuhies no$'that introduced waspscomPetewith them (breedrarer-some are known only by a single museum speci[or honevde*. an extremely important foodstuff men-than rnight be inferred from the habitat apparing successin the Kaka is directly correlated with honently availableto them. Unidentified factors must afflict e\.deq inrake in the previous autumn). The whitethem all, and clear|y sometimesnatural causes may be hcaded Duck (Oxyuralzucocephala)faceslong-term exin play, particularly unseen ones such as diseasesand rincrion through hybridization with its New World infestations(seeMay, in Coulson and Crockford, 1995), counterpart, the Ruddy Duck (O. jamaicensis),which which are known to afflict the lphis Monarch (Pomates becameferal in Britain in the 1960s and is now spread-fhe iphis) and Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae). ing into its range. In both casesthe costs and logistics safestassumpdon in casesof inexplicable rarity, at least o[ eradicationare too great lo consider. on condnents, is that habitat degradation or loss is in Sometimes threats come not from exotics but lrom some way involved. natives expanding their ranges,often owing to human modifications of habitat. The spread of cowbirds (Molothrus) through the Americas and the Caribbean is TOTHE IV. APPROACHES particularly worr)4ng. Birds such as Kirtland's Warbler (Dendroica hirtlandii) and Black-capped Vireo (Vireo OF CONSERVATION atricapillvs) need constant-effort prograrns to r€duce BIRDS THREATENED cowbird brood-parasitism to tolerable levels. Similarly rhe spread through the Caribbean of the Pearly-eyed andSynthesis A. Research Thrasher (Margarops fuscatus), a nest-hole competitor, The primary consewation need of an endangeredspehas been viewed with alarm by the Puerto Rican Amacies is information. There is a common behavioral trait zon (Amazonavittatd) recovery teams. amongacademicsof ignoring literature much older than Analysis of Neotropical data (Collar et al., 1997) I0 years, presumably partly reflecting the assumpdon shows that the avian families with significantly high that the data contained in such literature are incorPonumbers of threarcned species suffer from particular (Psittacidae) rated into more recent work. Often, in fact, the informarhreats in combination. Thus the parrots tion has been ignored; sometimes,however, it has been have rhe greatestproportion of threatenedbirds in any used but, on proper reconsid€ration,proves tobe faulty. tamilr' (2806), closely followed by the curassows and (TinamiThere is therefore considerable virtue in seeking out, guans (Cracidae,26%), and then the tinamous assembling,and critically evaluating all iuformation redae. I5"... still almost double the 8% rate of endangerlating to an endangeredspeciesbefore deciding on the menr in the \ew World avifauna as a whole). All three most appropriate remedial or m€rely investigative acfamilies arc sensitive to habitat loss; but the parros tion. Despite the need for speed in casesof speciesat also experience intensive trapping for trade purposes, risk, precipiate intervention can waste hundreds of and the cracrds and tinamous are no less intensively thousands of dollars and even prejudice attitudes exploited for food. Possessiono[ a distinct economic against a specieswhen its real needs are finally recogvalue within a beleaguered habitat t'?e, particularly nized. For example, captive breeding management for one with some (bio-)geographic restriction, conlers a the Philippine Eagle (PithecophagajefJeryi), a costly strong likelihood oI endangerment. long-term, but to dat€ unsuccessfulprogram, appears However, there are manv endangered birds whose to have come into being in responseto somewhat overrarity has abidingly obscure causes.Among these are (Caitind srutulnla,Southeast cautious estimatesof the bird's population size. the White-winged Duck Recent Birdlife Red Data Books have sought to preAsia), Giant lbis (Pseudibisgigantca,lndochina), Himas€nt detailed synth€seso[ relevant data, extending to Iayan Mountain-quail (Ophrysic superciliosa, lndia), (Polyplectron schleiermach- translations from languag€swith which biologists may Bomean Peacock-pheasant (Ptilinopus not be familiar, so that a clear picture of a situation orc4nus,Neeri, Bomeo), Negros Fruit-dove (Charmosyna can rapidly be considered and the options objectively gros, Philippines), Blue-headedLorlkeet (C. assessed.However, ther€ are many other examples of toropri, Buru, lndonesia), New CaledonianLorikeet the careful construction of evidencein endangeredspediqdema), Forest O wlet (Atheneblewitti, India) , Liberian cies management. One of the most notable is the exGreenbul (Phl llast rephus leucolepis), Cone-billed Tana- 402 E ND A NG E R E DB IR D S haustive 400-page review of the history, plight, and management of the Puerto Rican Amazon (AmaTona vitt4td) assembledby members of the team that spenr some 20 years piecing together the facts (Snyder et al., 1987). The importance of individual study of endangered birds cannot be overstated,although there can be difficulties (over logistics, permissions, the generation of statistically uselul data) and dangers(sometimes to the student, sometimesto the species)that militate srongly against such work, For larg€r species,radio-tracking is becomingincreasinglyvaluableasa meansofrecovering large quandties of information from a relatively small investment of effort: speciesas different as Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor) and MadagascarSerpent-eagle (E[triorchis astur) have yielded data on movemens and daily behavior pattems rhat are crucial ro their long-term management. B. SiteandHabitatConservation The conservation of sites at which endangered birds occur, and of the habitat they are known to occupy, is the primary management technique for ensudng their suwival. The key tool is th€ protected area, which for Iarger sitesis usually reflected in law as a national park, indicating the clear public interest of serdng aside a major proportion of a country lor noneconomic reasons. Smaller areas are often designated as nature or biological reserves,and are frequently consideredmore as refuges or scientific laboratories for research purposesthan as sites with a broader public service;public access can be more difficult than in nadonal parks. However, the site of many national parks is important for consewing viable populations of larger, low-density species.Naturally it is appropriate to seek to savethese specieswhere they are s)'npatric, thereby maximizing the efficiency of the expense.Evaluations such as those by Wege and Long (1995), Stou et aL (1996), and Stattersfield et al. (1998) provide clear rarionales for the hrgeting of conservation resourcesin such a way as to secur€ not just individual species but the key representativ€sof biogeographic regions. ln general, endangeredbirds on continents require larger-scalehabitat conservation, whereas those on islands need intensive multi-faceted management (aspectsofwhich are treatedin SectionIII,D). The cardinal element in successfulsite conservadonis local support, backed of course by national govemment. In its work since 1983 to conservethe montane foress of westem Cameroon (to which 25 speciesof bird are endemic, 9 oI them threatened), Birdlife International has imple- mented a major ICDP (integrated conservation and development project) ar Mt. Kilum-ljim to aid local human communities around the mountains, and this has led to a widespread appreciation oI the biological value of the forest withour generaring rhe kind of hostility that goes with attempting to create strict exclusion zones. The same kind of program operatesar ArabukoSokoke Forest in Kenya, home to six endangeredbirds. Other conservation organizations have been using the same fundamental formula-that local people must be made part of the solution, not demonrzed as part of the problem. Campaigns to promote interest in and support for species conservation programs are liral elements of those programs. These may rake rhe form o[ extension work related to ICDP promotion of sustainableuse oI Iocal resources, or more direct appeals to people to appreciate the unique value of rhe wildlife in their C. TradeControls and Intemational Legislation Although trade is not a strong factor in the endangerment of birds in general,it is important for a lew groups ofspecies, most notably the parrots. The major intemational instrument for the control o[ trade is the Washington Convention, universally knou'n as CTTES(Convention on International Trad€ in EndangeredSpecies), which has been in operation since rhe 1970s. Animals and plants maybe registeredin three \ays: on Appendix I, which essentiallyprohibits all movement of the species in question:on Appendix II. rvhich prohibits all commercialtradeexceptunder license:and on Appendix ttl. which allo*s a particular narion to prohibit ttade across its borders irrespective of a species' status elsewhere. Becauseo[ the immense volume oI traffic in parrots. and the problemof identificanonin so diversea family (around 350 species),all but three specieswere placed on Appendix ll in 1981. This move had the intention ifnot the effect of giving protection to the more endangered parros-naturally their rarity increasedrheir desirability among bird-fanciers-which, if listed alone on the Appendix, could easily have been traded indiscriminately under other names without customs officials necessarilybeing able to idenrify them. Appendix II species have quotas set by exporting countries, in theory based on data that show the exploitation to be sustainable.Where the evidence suggeststhat it is not, movement to Appendix I is supposed to bestow immunity. E N D A N G E R E DB I R D S Curiouslv-but as a measureof the power that some trade interests can exert-lisdng on APP€ndix I can actualh stimulate trade (a) while the speciesis still at rhe proposal stagefor upgrading but also (b) following Iistrng. on the basis o[ its enhanced rarity value. This happened to the Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchushyacrnrhinrs). rvhoserarity in the wild today is primarily a e,.,nsequence of a trapping blitz in the 1980s.ln general, (-ITES trade controls have some effect, and allow for r cn useful monitoring of changesin trading fashions ovcr time. However, for truly prized species such as Lcar's Macaw (A. leari) and Spix's Macaw (Cyonopsittd sptrii), both frorn Brazil, there is little that any control s\stem can do to elirninate smuggling: the financial inducements are simply too strong. The same tends to be true in lndonesia for exquisite songsters like the Straw-headedBulb:ul (Pycnonotuszeylanicus)and SoodlLrokers like the Bali Surling (Leucopsar rothschildi). Other important international instruments for end.rngeredbirds are the RamsarConvention (ior imPorr.rnt u'etlands), Bonn Convention (for migratory specres). and Berne Conv€ndon (for European species). The Convention on Biological Diversity, already mentioned, ought to be the comerstone of endangeredspecies conservation across the planet. but considerable e[fort bl nongovernmental organizations is needed to ensurethe inclusionof global prioritiesin the national consenation strategiesthat each partl to the convention is obliged to produceand implemenl. for "Critically Techniques D. Management Endangered" Birds I. Habitat Restoradon Major conservation projects almost invariably involve some habitat restoration work. However, for speciesat the brink ofextinction through habitat loss, the emphasis falls more directly on the rapid replanting of foodplants and land areas.Lear'sMacaw appearsto be constrained by the availabilitl o[ licuri palms (Syagrus coronata),many srandsof which show no sign of regeneration owing to cattle-grazing: Programs have long been planned to establish many new Sroveswithin the species'range. The Cebu Flowerpecker (Dicaeumquadricolor) survives in an area of heavily degraded forest rhat consists ol a mere 3 km2: efforts are under way to r€forest adjacent areaswithin the next 30 years. There is now an emerging discipline of restoration ecology, and it is likely that a great deal of conservation energy in the twenty-first century will be channeledinto reconfiguring habiuts that were ruined during the twentieth. 403 2. Control and/or Restriction of Aliens and Natives Eradication of exotic predators and pests from islands hasbeen pioneeredin New Zealand,where severalsmall offshore islands have been rid of various mammals in order both to preserveresident breeding speciesand to translocatestricken native sPeci€sfrom the main islands (Clout and Craig, in Coulson and Crockford, 1995). This painstakingly systematic restoration of islandsmainly involving the elimination of cats, rats, and mustelids-has been essentialto the survival of birds such as the Black Perel (Procellariaparhinsoni) and Kakapo (Stigops habroptilus), and the expertise generated is now being exported to other islands in the Pacific and lndian Oceans. Researcherson Mauritius recently discovered why the native, Critically EndangeredPink PiSeon(Nesoen4s mayeri) and Mauritius Fody (Foudia rubra) have manag€d to persist in the face of rat predation. Thesebirds now nest almost exclusively in a grove of exotic Cryptomeiq japonica, whose bark produces a sticky gum and whose leaves consist of spiny needles,both of which discouragerats lrom getting at nests. Curiously, then, in rare casesit appearsthat exotic vegetation can help rather than hinder native sp€cies in their struggle against exotic predators; in this insbnce the plandng o[ more Crlptomeric is clearly called for. It is not always the casethat exotic predators are the problem. ln New Zealand, the native weka (Gallirallus 4ustralis) has proved to be a significant influence in depressingthe numbers of Little Spotted Kiwi (Apteryx owenii) marooned on Kapiti lsland, of Cook's Petrel (Pterodromacookii) on Codfish Island (until removed), and of Chatham Oystercatcher (Haematopuschatha' mersis) on various Chatham islands. On Bermuda, White-tailed Tropicbirds (Phaethonlepturus) outcompete Cahows (Pterodromacahow) for nests and have to be controlled. As already mentioned, brood-parasitism by cowbirds requires intensive local control efforts to prevent the suppression of breeding successin Kirtland's Warbler and Black-cappedVireo. 3. Captive Breeding The role of captive breeding in endangeredbirds has long been controversial. The prevailing view among conservation biologists is that capdye breeding is not a major managementtool for endangeredbirds, and that indeed it can positively dishact attention and lesources from serious problems that affect th€ species.The Philippine Eagle has already been mentionedi similarly, cranesand parrots have in the past been launched into 401 E N D A N G E R E DB I R D S ex situ prograrrs in the mistaken belief that maior benefits will resulr (bolh speciesimprint heavily.and parrots, many of which leam survival techniques through observation of their parents, are particularly disadvantagedfor retum to the wild). Captive breeding hasmany other drawbacks,notably the particular dangersof diseasetransmissionto wild birds from captive stock (Sny_ d.er et aL. L996). Nevertheless,captive breeding has achieved several outstanding successes.The Northem Bald Ibis (Geron_ ticus eremita.) and Califomia Condor (Gyunogps cali_ fomianus) both flourish in caprivity while efforts to implove environmental conditions in the wild continue. The Lord Howe Rail (Gallirallus qrlvestris) and Guam Rail (G. owstoni), members of a notoriously vulnerable family (since so many rails reached islands in the past and proceededro lose the power of [light), probibly only persist thank to er sittl regimes. The Socono Dove (Zenaida graysoni) survives only becausea few Californianbird-fanciersrook and bred specimensat a time before its native island *u, ou"rrun by exotic predators. ln Ig98 rhe Bali Starling (Leucopsar rothschildi) was within eight individuals of becoming extinct in lhe wild owing to relentlesspoachingtor trade. but zoos throughout the world have bred the species such that many hundredsand perhapsrhousandssur_ vive for possible reintroduction when poaching has finally been brought under control. There is also a role for veterinarians in intensive in situ managementprograms, through their expertise in providing appropriate advice on roxicity ofnestbox ma_ rerials,control ofnest parasites. compositionand secure provision of supplementary foods, disease screening, and minimization in cross-fosteringand translocation exerc$es. 4. Reintroduction and Translocation The extirpation of a speciesat a discrete site may have been caused by a shorGterm or remediable factor, so that restocking with individuals from elsewherecan be undertaken. This is usually relevant or worrhwhile only when rhe speciesis globally endangered.bur whatevei the urgency, the endeavor requires careful planning (Black, I991). A seriesof feasibility assessmentsshould determine rhe sire's continuing ecological suitability (the original constraining factors must no longer opeiate), the threats it faces,the availability of appropriate stock, the socioeconomic implications, and local, national, and international awarenessneeds. The birds must be in optimal condition, and if captive-bred thev should havebeenrearedin disease-free condirionsani in such a way as to be behaviorally and genetically fit for independence in nature. Monitoring of the project is crucial, and it should be documented for circulation to other biologists contemplating such effors. Bird speciesthat have benefited from well-desisned reintroductionprogramsinclude rhe Neneor Hawaiian Goose (Branta sandyicensis),California Condor, pere_ grine (Falco pereginus), and Chatham lslands Snipe (Coenocorypha pusilla). Those rhat have nor incluie Cheer Pheasant (Cqtrexs wallichii) in Margalla Hills, Pakistan (fox predation), Shore plover on Mangere ls_ land. New Zealandlthe birds flew back ro Souih Easr lsland), and Thick-billed parrots in rhe Unired Stares (the wild-caught birds flew back to Mexico; rhe captive_ bred ones flew nowhereat all). Translocation to previously unoccupied siteshas be_ come a greatly valued technique, if onl) as a temporary measurewhile efforts are concentratedon habitat resto_ ration or predator eradication at the native site. Benefi_ ciaries of rhis approach include Niuafoou Megapode (Megapodiuspitchardii), Vini lorikeets. Kakapo. Guam Rail lollowing captive breeding. Seychellei Magpierobin (Copsychussechellarum), and Sel.chellesWarLler (Acrocephalusseychellsnsis). The work done in Dreoara_ tion for the Seychelles Warbler translocarrons showed that target islands had many times the insect abundance of the host island, Cousin. This was clearly related to the absenceof predation pressure on the insecr fauna, and-unsurprisingly but still very strikingly-when birds were releasedonto the target islands they began breeding almost immediately, and very rapidly expanded their numbers. On Cousin the birds had been so packed that they bred only very slowly, with one offspring tending ro sray on territory and help at the nest.waiting for a parenl to die { Komdeur, tqq}). This observation underscoresthe value of the food resource base in managing endangeredbirds, and leads to the next point. 5. Supplementary Feeding The value of increasing food availability for sDecies whose populations need rapid growlh s;ems t; have been perceived only relatively recently, perhaps begin_ ning with work on Peregrines(seeTemple, 197g). ihe techniquehas been adopredlor endangeredbirds on Mauritius, principally with the Mauritius Kestrel (Falco punctatus),for which extra food clearly enhancedreoroductive output Qoneser cl., in Coulsonand Crockford, 1995). New Zealand workers supporting efforrs on Mauritius have found the same with the Kakano: nor_ mally rhe speciesbreeds only in responsero major masting events,which may occur once every five years, but wirh dietary supplements it appears to be capable 405 E N D A NG E R E DB I R D S o[ bre€ding every year. On Hokkaido, Red-crowned Cranes (Gms japorlensis)have recovered ftom nearcrtirpation through a combination of better protection .rnd extensive food provision. Clearly, as a relatively short-term measuresupplementary feeding can be crurral in producing an unnaturally rapid reproductive output, a very desirable effect in critically low populations where the genetic value of every individual needs to be maximized. 6. Nest-Site Provision or Enhancement Where nest sites are limiting (often the casewith holenesting species),the provision of nestboxesor the enhancement of natural cavities may be appropriate. Puerto Rican Amazons ignored the former butbenefited from the latter. Mauritius Kestrels greatly benefited from the creation o[ nesting ledges. The provision of grilles at entrances has helped Prevent White-tailed Tropicbirds from appropriating Cahow burrows. In the Galipagos, a new, more secure colony of Dark-rumped I'etrels (P. phaeopygia)was establishedby digging nest burrows and playing calls among them at night. 7. Cross-Fostering and Cross-Breeding Many large raptors and most cranes lay two eggs but normally rear only one young, so biologiss attempting to increase productivity of endangeredforms of such birds have long sought to make use of the expendable second eggs by taking them for hatching and captive breeding. ln the case of the Whooping Crane (Grus ameicano), an attempt was made to establisha second population by placing such eggsin the nestsof Sandhill Cranes (G. canadetsis). but this did not result in a breeding population, possibly as a result of imprinting. The most famous inshnce of cross-fosteringinvolved the Black Robin (Petroica traversi), whose population fell to five individuals in 1980 but recovered by the placing of some eggs in the nests of Chatham Island Tit (P. macrocephala). Cross-breeding with another subspecies was regarded as the last hope of the Dusky SeasideSparrow (Ammospizs ma"itimus nigrescens), but the last stock died out before the endeavor could begin. However, it has been used on the endemic Norfolk lsland race undulata of the New Zealand Boobook (Morepork, Ninox noyaeseelondiae), which by 1986 had been reduced to a single female. After nestboxeswere erected to overcome an irnmediate shortage, two male nominate male boobooks were introduced to the island; one o[ them paired with the female and in due course produced a string of hybrid offspring. The taxonomic (and legal) implications of this technique may not have been con- sidered, but it clearly representsa means of presewing genetic diversitY. 8. The RoIe of the Concerned Cltizen Finally, it is worth stressingthat much of the advocacy for endangered birds, and many of the insights into their plight and salvation, comes from national and international conservation organizations. One of the most valuable things that any s)'rnpathetic individual can do to help endangeredbirds is simply to join or support such organizations. Their conservation effectiveness depends not only on the financial security derived from a broad membership base,but also on being recognizedas the representativemouthpieces of a constituency consisting of millions o{ concerned citizens SeeAlsotheFollowingArticles EFFORTS' OF . CONSERVATION BIRDS.BIODIVERSITY MAMMALS' ENDANGERED ENDANGERED CONTEMPORARY. AND AMPHIBIANS' EXTINCTIONS,MODERN REPTILES OF INSTANCES Bibliography Black,J. M. (1991).Reinlroductionand restocking:Guidelinesfor Bird Consen lnt.1,329-3J4. bird recov€ryprogrammes. Buch€r.E. H. (1992). The causesof extinction of the Passenger Pigeon.ln Currnt O itholos' 9 (D. M. Power,ed ), Pp. l-36 PlenumPress,New York. Colar, N. J., and Stuart,S. N. (1985). Thr.dten€dBirds oJAJnca andRelarcAIsh^ik: TheICBPlIIJCN RedDataBook.Inr€rMtional council for Bird Pres€wation/lntemationalUnion for Consewadon of Nature and Natural Resources,Cambridge, United Kingdom. L. P-,Krabbe,N-, MadronoNieto,A , Naranio' Collar,N.J.. Gonzaga, BirdsoJ L. G-. Parker,T. A-, and Wege,D. C. (1992).Threate\ed the Amert.as:TheICBP/IUCNRedDala Booi. Intemational Council for Bird Presewation,Cambridge,Unit€d Kingdom collar, N. J., Crosby.M. J., and Staite$field,A. J 0994) Birdsto walch 2: The world List oJ Threalened Biras, Birdlife Conservation Series 4. Birdl'ife lnternatioMl. CambridSe, UnttedKingdom. Collar. N. J., Wege, D. C., and Long, A. J. (1997) Patternsand in lhe New World avifauna.In Studies causesof endangerment in Nmtropi.al O'7titholog/ Hono'ing Ted Parher (J v. Remsen. ed.),OmithologicalMorcgraph48, pp.237-260.Am€ricanOmirhologistsUnion, Washington,D.C. B. R., Mallari, N A. D., Villasper,J- M., Collar, N. J., Tabaranza, t-owen,J. C., Tobias,J. A., Long,A. J., add Crosby,M J. (1999). ThreatenedRirds oJ the PhiliPpines-Bookmark, lnc , Manila Coulson,J., and Crockford,N. J. (eds.).(1995) Bird consenation: The scienceand the action.lbis 137, suPpl. I A. J., Collar,N J.. andBibby,C.J. (1996). Crosby,M. J., Stattersfield, Predictingavianextinctionrates.Biodirersit,Lelt. 2, 182-185 SuwivalCommission.(1994).IUCN RedList cateSoIUCN Species des,asapprovedby th€4oth meedngof rheIUCN Council,Gland, +06 E N D A N G E R E DB I R D S Srvitzerland,30 Novembcr 1994.IUCN/The World Cons€rvation Union, Gland. Kudn, W. E., and Gaston,K. J. (1998). rhr Biolo$/ ol RA4E. Cbapman & Ilall, Irndon. Moors, P. J. (€d.). (1985). Conse'vdlionoJlsla/tlt 8ird5. lut€rnational Council for Bird Preservarioq Ca6bridg€, United KingdoESnydcr,N. F- R., wiley,J. w., ad Kepler, C. B. (1987). Th. Pottots oJ bt4rillo. Westem Foundatiofl of Veatebrale Zoolo$/, Los Angeles. Snyd€r,N. F. R., D€rrickson, S. R., BcissinScr,S. R, Wil€y, J. W., Smith, T. 8., Toone, W. B., and Miller, B. (1996). LtmitatiorE of captive breding in endangeredspeciesrecovery, Cot$cfv. Blol. r0,338-3.+8. Stattersfield,A. J., Crosby,M. J., lrdg, A. J., and Wege,D, C. ( 1998). EndcmicBird Areaso! theWodA mofities Jor BioAir.'l'ly Conse'. vatio4 CoDs€rktion Series7. Btdl-if€ International, Cambddge, Unikd Kingdom. Stotz,D. F., FitzpaEick,J. W-, Parker,T. A., and Moskovi6,D- K. (19E6). N.otropicdl Blftk: Ecolog drd Cons?rvdtion.University of ChicegoPress,ChicaSo. Temple,S.A. (ed.). (1978). End4il.geredBiftls: Ma,age^e^t Tech^iques Ior Prete'ning Thr.at n d Speci.s. UniveEity of wisconsin Press,Madison. Wcge, D. C., and Lo!g, A. J. (1995). Ksy AreasJor ThreateaedBirds ln the NeottopLs. Birdufe lnternational, Cambridg€, Unit€d Kingdom.