Weidevogels

For Numeniini, a family of birds that includes Curlews and Godwits, new research indicates that these birds are at risk. A recent study by Royal Society for the Preservation of Birds (BirdLife in the UK), British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), and the International Wader Study Group suggests they could actually be one of the most threatened families of birds on earth. The study consulted over 100 experts who assessed the threats to Numeniini throughout their migratory regions and found that seven of the thirteen species are threatened with extinction.

Farmland covers 45% of the EU’s land area and these habitats are rocketing towards biodiversity oblivion. We cannot afford to mince our words here, the situation is very serious and requires both monitoring and action. The European Bird Census Council (EBCC), where many BirdLife partners play a key role, has been coordinating the collation of data on more than 160 common bird species across 28 European countries. The data collected is fundamental to understanding the future of European biodiversity – and the forecasts are alarming.

Agricultural intensification is an important anthropogenic perturbation of the environment. It is characterized by a specialization of the production process, which results in a switch from diverse plantations to large monocultures. Agricultural intensification is also associated with increased use of pesticides, harvest frequency, and density of plantations in cultivated areas. This type of practice is linked to the population decline of several bird species in Europe and North America.

The population of Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) in North-Rhine – Westphalia (NRW) has declined severely. Since the 1960s the species has lost an estimated 80% of its population, and from 2009-2014 the population has decreased by 40% resulting in a current population of a merely c. 12,000 pairs. Areas above 150m asl have been abandoned almost completely. The main reason for the severe declines lies in the agricultural intensification. This led to the loss of the original breeding sites until 1900. The secondary breeding sites, i.e.

Die Bestandsentwicklung des Kiebitzes ist in Nordrhein-Westfalen stark rückläufig. Schätzungsweise hat der Kiebitz (Vanellus vanellus) seit den 1960er Jahren 80 % des Bestandes eingebüßt, gesichert sind Verluste von 40 % zwischen 2009 und 2014, so dass der aktuelle Brutbestand nur noch ca. 12.000 Paare umfasst. Regionen in Höhen von mehr als 150 m ü. NN sind mittlerweile fast vollständig vom Kiebitz geräumt worden. Der Hauptgrund für die starken Rückgänge ist in der Intensivierung der landwirtschaftlichen Produktion zu sehen.

The current distribution and recent population trends of the Great Bustard ( Otis tarda ) in Iran were investigated based on a literature review and unpublished data (1995–2008) followed by three years of census (2009–2011) in areas where the species is still breeding. Results suggest that Great Bustards have disappeared from a large part of their former distribution in the country, including East Azarbayjan, Hamedan and Kurdistan provinces. The surviving groups are concentrated in West Azarbayjan where numbers are rapidly declining.

Guernsey Post have annouced plans to issue a new stamp celebrating an endangered Bailiwick bird. The Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis), now classified as endangered in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, will feature on stamps as part of a collaboration with the WWF. Islanders may notice the new stamp on the front of their letters and parcels from the 15th February 2017. An attractive creature, the Meadow Pipit is a small, streaky, yellow-brown bird with pale legs, a long hind claw and white outer tail feather. It's high, piping call – a common upland sound – gives it its common name.

Als besonders bedrohlich erweist sich die immer intensivere Landwirtschaft. „Auf den Äckern und Wiesen stellen wir einen massiven Artenrückgang fest“, sagt NABU-Mitarbeiter Mark Harthun. Acker-Bodenbrüter wie Feldlerche (Alauda arvensis) und Kiebitz (Vanellus vanellus) gebe es in Hessen immer seltener. Auf den Äckern nisten die Tiere nicht, weil Jahr für Jahr in riesigen Mengen Pestizide gesprüht werden. Nicht nur wegen der Giftstoffe selbst, sondern auch weil die Getreide- und Grashalme durch das Düngen immer dichter wachsen, brüten dort kein Vögel mehr, wie es heißt.

Wer kennt ihn nicht, den unermüdlich und in großer Höhe über den Feldern singenden Vogel? Die Feldlerche (Alauda arvensis), deren Gesang Generationen erfreute, zählte noch um 1990 zu den charakteristischen Vogelarten der heimischen Region. Doch ist es damit bald vorbei?