More than 500 species of birds, such as the condor and the albatross, will become extinct in the next century.

Madrid, June 24 (EFE).- Climate change and habitat loss will cause the extinction of more than 500 bird species in the next 100 years, more than triple all recorded bird extinctions since 1500 AD, according to a study by the University of Reading (United Kingdom).

This extinction will affect some of the most unique birds distributed throughout the planet, such as the Andean condor, the wandering albatross, the secretary harrier, the shoebill, the Lear's macaw, the Galapagos penguin, the Kākāpō, the helmeted hornbill or the yellow-bellied sunbird, emblematic birds, and unique in the world.

According to the study, habitat loss and degradation over the next 100 years will be the leading cause of extinctions, followed by hunting and agriculture, although the authors analyzed other indirect threats such as accidental deaths or the introduction of invasive species.

Furthermore, the disappearance of these 500 bird species will have a negative impact on the ecosystems that depend on them, warn the authors of the study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

"Threats can affect both taxonomic biodiversity (the number of species we could lose) and functional biodiversity (their role in the ecosystem), but for an ecosystem, losing a seed-eating passerine is not the same as losing a carrion-eating vulture. The impact is not the same," Manuela González-Suárez, a researcher at the University of Reading and lead author of the study, explained to EFE.

With all this data, the study concludes that even with complete protection from human-caused threats such as habitat loss, hunting, and climate change, some 250 bird species could continue to disappear.

"For many birds, the situation is no longer reversible, but we can prevent further loss of functional biodiversity if we focus on the most functionally unique species and protect them with specific programs to promote their recovery, such as breeding projects or the restoration of already lost habitats," González-Suárez explained.

"We are facing a bird extinction crisis unprecedented in the modern era. We need ambitious, coordinated, and immediate measures to reduce human threats across all habitats and targeted rescue programs to prevent the disappearance of the most unique and endangered species," added Kerry Stewart, lead author of the paper, in an email.

A rate of extinction unprecedented in nature

To conduct the study, researchers examined nearly 10,000 species using data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the world's most recognized inventory of species threat status.

Using the probability of extinction for each category on the list (Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered) and based on the threats each species faces, they estimated the number of species that will disappear in the coming decades.

"Before humans arrived, approximately one in every million species became extinct each year, so if there were no human activity, we would expect one species to become extinct for every 10,000 birds in a hundred years," Kerry Stewart told EFE.

"But since human expansion across the planet, extinction rates have been higher, with 164 bird extinctions recorded since 1500 AD (IUCN Red List, 2024)," he added.

"However, in the next 100 years, we predict more than 500 extinctions, which is more than triple the number that has occurred in the past 500 years. The magnitude of the threat in modern times is unprecedented," he concluded.

Threatened by shape and size

The study notes that large birds are more vulnerable to hunting and climate change, while broad-winged birds suffer more from habitat loss.

Furthermore, the study identifies which conservation measures will best preserve both the number of bird species and their ecological functions. Thus, halting habitat destruction would save the majority of birds overall, while reducing hunting and preventing accidental deaths would save birds with more unusual characteristics, which are especially important for ecosystem health.

But "prioritizing conservation programs for just 100 of the rarest endangered birds could save 68% of the variety of bird shapes and sizes. This approach could help maintain healthy ecosystems," González-Suárez stressed. EFE

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