Why our Ecosystem Depends on Vultures

 

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Mystery illness strikes down birds across US south and midwest

 

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New research reveals 75% drop in the number of flying insects

German researchers have reported a rapid drop in the number of flying insects at dozens of natural reserves over the past three decades.

Italy orders to cull over 20,000 turkeys after bird flu outbreak confirmed in farm

Italian authorities on Monday ordered the cull of some 20,000 turkeys, after an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza was confirmed in a farm in the northeast of the country.

Thousands of chickens, ducks to be killed in Japan after avian flu found

Authorities began culling 310,000 chickens at a farm on the Sea of Japan (East Sea) coast early Tuesday after a highly pathogenic strain of H5 avian influenza was detected in five birds, local authorities said.

Warming Arctic could disrupt migration patterns of millions of birds

Millions of birds pass through the Arctic on their annual migration routes. They arrive north to breed, expecting cool summer weather.

China's animal populations halved over past 40 years

The population of China's terrestrial vertebrates, which includes birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles, declined by nearly half in the past 40 years, a report jointly released by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development revealed on Thursday.

Noxious fish threatens Australia

A fish that can move across land and choke birds is traveling to Australia from Papua New Guinea (PNG), scientists warn.

Solar energy project kills over 3,500 birds in California

A solar energy project has killed as many as 3,500 birds in California, USA, a report said, Pravda.Ru reports.

Bird populations across Europe declining rapidly

Bird populations across Europe have experienced sharp declines - a staggering 421 million birds over the past 30 years - with the majority of losses from the most common species, a research shows.

The decline in bird populations can be linked to modern farming methods, deterioration of the quality of the environment and habitat fragmentation, the study noted.

Around 90 percent of these losses were from the 36 most common and widespread species, including house sparrows, skylarks, grey partridges and starlings.

Farmer leaves wheat on field to bring wild birds back

A man living in a remote village of Turkey’s Black Sea region has been planting wheat in his fields and does not harvest it, in order to feed wild birds and thus keep them in the area.

Tahir Öztürk, 29, who runs a shop for door and window restorations in the town center of Gümüşhane, decided to plant wheat in his fields in the Boyluca village four years ago in order to “hear the sounds of wild birds once again.”

Öztürk said many villagers had moved out of Boyluca and ceased to plant their fields, meaning that many birds, particularly partridges, stopped returning to the village, as they were unable to find food anymore.