African birds of prey that hunt during the day are facing an extinction crisis as populations of dozens of raptor species decline, researchers said in a study published Thursday.
Researchers used data from the past 40 years to analyze the populations of 42 of the country's 106 raptor species, they wrote in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution. Almost 90% of the species studied experienced a population decline.
“Africa is at a crossroads when it comes to saving its magnificent birds of prey,” said Dr. Darcy Ogada, one of the study's authors, in a press release. “In many areas we have seen these species almost disappear.”
Ogada, Africa program director at the Peregrine Fund, warned that the secretary bird – one of the continent's most famous birds of prey – was at risk of extinction.
Secretarybird portrait, Masai Mara National Park, Kenya, Africa. Leonardo Mangia/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
“There is no single threat that endangers these birds, it is a combination of many caused by humans,” Ogada said. “In other words, we are experiencing deaths from a thousand cuts.”
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Endangered species include vultures, eagles, kestrels, buzzards and falcons.
Birds of prey in Africa have been harmed by the conversion of forested habitats to agricultural land.
“Since the 1970s, extensive areas of forest and savannah have been converted to cropland, while other pressures on African birds of prey have also increased,” said study author and professor at the University of St Andrews, Dr. Phil Shaw, in a press release.
Shaw also noted the growth of the country's population. Africa has the highest population growth among major territories, with sub-Saharan Africa's population expected to double by 2050, according to the United Nations.
It's not just Africa that is facing a decline in bird populations. In a 2019 study, scientists said the U.S. and Canada have lost 29% of their bird populations – equivalent to nearly 3 billion birds. In the same year, scientists warned that a million plant and animal species worldwide were at risk of extinction.
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