12 Birds Saved by Worldwide Conservation Efforts

12 Birds Saved by Worldwide Conservation Efforts

Birds are some of the firmest strands in the beautiful tapestry of our planet's earthly biodiversity. But thousands of well known species have been teetering on the brink for decades thanks to habitat loss, pollution, invasive species and hunting. It's the story of losing at long last. The world's unprecedented commitment to conservation, the emergence of committed wildlife protection programmes and rising awareness of the need to protect threatened species has produced some of the most astonishing stories in the history of wildlife conservation.

California Condor

In 1987, there were only 27 California Condors; it's likely the most popular story of how bird endangerment can be reversed by well loved birds. In a last resort measure, the last wild condors were captured to be used for captive breeding. With diligent protection and cooperation, the number has grown into the over 500 of today, including more than 300 flying exemplars in California, Arizona, Utah and Baja California. This epic scale project should provide proof of the power of captive breeding programs.

Mauritius Kestrel

At one time this small falcon was declared the rarest bird in the world; by 1974 its numbers had declined to four, and that was attributed to deforestation and the use of pesticides. Captive breeding and habitat restoration of wildlife brought wildlife preservation experts from all around the world into a scheme to reestablish the animal's wild population. Its numbers have now stabilised and are over 400 birds and are an example of island species recovery.

Bald Eagle

A national bird is a powerful conservation symbol These birds suffered terrible reproductive destruction as the use of DDT caused their eggs to thin. The Bald Eagle too reversed its fortunes after DDT was banned, and through such laws as the Endangered Species Act, but primarily and largely through intensive breeding efforts. They have been removed from endangered and are doing pretty well with their population in North America at this time.

Kakapo

The New Zealand flightless parrot is an extremely rare bird that's nocturnal and unable to fly. It was pushed to the brink, by predation from introduced rats and stoats among other things. The protected species action is one of the most complex efforts made towards conservation of the Kakapo: the entire known population has been moved to predator free islands. The species have steadily been increasing in numbers, building up to over 200 birds.

Whooping Crane

For decades, research into the bird's life history has established that while their wintering grounds in Texas are well known, protections of these grounds are now needed just as much as is the identification of their breeding areas in Canada. Conservationists even developed a technique which uses ultralight aircrafts to teach captive bred cranes how to migrate. A still better story is that their numbers are now in excess of 800, and this is a triumph of avian conservation.

Spotted Northern Owl

This owl became the focus of an as yet unresolved environmental controversy in the Pacific west of the United States. It had been all but wiped out from its habitat because of old growth logging. But the bald eagle was still desperately in need of a listing under the Endangered Species Act, and there was much new forest management to be done saving millions of acres of habitat from the bulldozer and putting conservation values in direct conflict with development.

Pink Pigeon

The Pink Pigeon is endemic to Mauritius and was a victim of habitat destruction as well as alien predators and enemies. In 1991 ten birds remained. Even the most at risk birds have been brought back from the brink of non existence: the eagles now have a near 500 population that shows that even the most endangered of birds can be saved.

Asian Crested Ibis

The beautiful birds found throughout East Asia had been thought extinct until the end of the twentieth century when a flock of seven wild individuals was found in China. Through captive breeding efforts, in combination with cooperation from the community, these seven birds have grown to more than 5,000 birds.

Bermuda Petrel Cahow

Cahow was supposedly extinct until 300 years ago (or possibly more) but was miraculously spotted in 1951. As a work of excellence in long run commitment, it has come back from the dead. false burrows that provide erosion free and non-native species free sites for nesting endangered species The population has gradually increased, thanks to ongoing species recovery plans, up to today's number of more than 150 breeding pairs from only 18 pairs.

Red Kite

Driven to extinction in Scotland and England by the end of the 19th century, miraculously the handsome raptor is making a comeback. Resurrection programs have been in operation since 1989, and have involved birds that originated both in Spain and in Sweden. Thanks to legal protection and feeding stations, there are now several thousand breeding pairs of this iconic bird species in the UK, a symbolic substitute for the numbers currently flying over Europe.

Lear Macaw

This beautiful azure beauty is still in great danger of being preyed upon by those who poach the birds as pets, as a result of the destruction of its native habitat due to the existence of a profitable market for parrot breeding as a source of proud birds for sale as pets. As there are only 70 birds in the wild, the conservation groups have been working with the local communities to secure the main nesting and foraging grounds as well as combating the problem of poaching.

Echo Parakeet

The Echo Parakeet of Mauritius [the largest of the Mascarene islands] was the last remaining parrot in the world, and like most in such islands, was suffering from habitat loss, and predation by invasive species. In 1986, just 12 birds were left. By putting up nest boxes, feeders and using techniques to control predators, conservationists brought up each and every chick. This is now over 800 (with more coming soon) and the epic recovery is closed.

In the Future Sighted

Sure, we forgave a lot and made the move in time, but doing so required a skillset, and some quick thinking that could only have been accomplished with passion, global cooperation, and potentially the greatest sacrifice in moving the animals that then were known as the twelve species, back from the brink of extinction. Although it is still staggeringly overwhelming how threatened all species of biodiversity are today, they demonstrated that when all of mankind acts like men, we can recover back to Natures arms the species that we always enjoyed wreaking havoc with.