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Endangered Birds

There used to be a small, nectar-eating bird called the Oahu Nukepu'u that lived on the island of Oahu in the Hawaiian islands. Once Europeans settlers fell in love with the islands and introduced new animals and colonized wild areas, this bird disappeared. It has not been seen since the 1890s.

On New Zealand and its surrounding islands, there used to be a large, flightless bird called a moa. These birds were hunted to extinction by the mid 1800s.

Throughout the New England area, there used to be birds called heath hens. Early settlers hunted the birds for food, and farmers, clearing land for crops, chopped down the forests where the birds lived. By 1830, these birds only existed on Martha's Vineyard which is an island off the coast of Massachusetts. By 1932, these birds were also gone from Martha's Vineyard and are now extinct.

And, of course, everyone knows what happened to the bird called the dodo that once lived on the South Pacific islands of Mauritius and Reunion.

Sample these internet sites and complete the activities for each one to learn more about the factors that are endangering birds worldwide.

Blue and Yellow Macaw
http://www.oaklandzoo.org/atoz/azblylmc.html

  1. Where in the world do they live?
  2. What do they eat?
  3. Why are they almost extinct?

Fabulous Kakapo
http://www.kakapo.net/en/index.html

  1. Where in the world are they found?
  2. In what ways is the kakapo different from most parrots?
  3. Why are they endangered?

Black-faced Spoonbill
http://www.wwf.org.hk/eng/maipo/wildlife/black_faced.html

  1. Where in the world do they live?
  2. What do they eat?
  3. Where do they nest and breed?
  4. Why are they endangered?

Golden-cheeked Warbler
http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/goldencheekedwarbler/

  1. Where in the world do they live?
  2. What are the threats to their survival?

Yellow-naped Amazon Parrot
http://www.oaklandzoo.org/atoz/azylpart.html

  1. Where in the world do they live?
  2. What do they eat?
  3. Why are they popular pets?
  4. Why are their numbers declining?

Lappet-faced Vulture
http://www.oaklandzoo.org/atoz/azlfvult.html

  1. Where in the world do they live?
  2. Why are their numbers declining?

Flightless Cormorant
http://www.panda.org/resources/publications/species/underthreat/page13.htm

  1. Where in the world are they found?
  2. Why are they endangered?

Nene Goose
http://www.honoluluzoo.org/nene_goose.htm

  1. Where in the world are they found?
  2. What are the threats to their survival?

Short-tailed Albatross
http://www.bagheera.com/inthewild/van_anim_albatros.htm

  1. How wide can the wing span of this albatross be?
  2. These birds used to next on several Japanese islands, and their range extended to most of the north Pacific Ocean. Now they only next on one Japanese island called Toroshima. What factors have lead to their endangered status?

Ostrich
http://www.seaworld.org/AnimalBytes/ostrichab.htmll

  1. Some species of ostrich are common in certain parts of the world. Other species are declining. The Arabian and West African ostriches are listed as endangered. Why have their numbers declined?

Hyacinth Macaw
http://www.hyacinthmacaw.org/hyacinthmacaw.htm

  1. Where in the world is it found?
  2. What is its habitat?
  3. What does it eat?
  4. Why is it endangered?

Whooping Crane
http://raysweb.net/specialplaces/pages/crane.html

  1. Where in the world are they found?
  2. How tall are they? What is their wingspan?
  3. What do they eat?
  4. This bird very nearly became extinct. What caused their initial decline?
  5. What conditions continue to keep whooping cranes endangered?

Madagascar Fish Eagle
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/index.html?http://www.unep-wcmc.org/species/data/species_sheets/fisheagl.htm~main

  1. Why are they endangered?
 
Bibliography

Markle, Sandra and William. Gone Forever! An Alphabet of Extinct Animals. New York : Antheum, 1998.

Author: LINDA MOSBACKER - Email linda.mosbacker@slc.k12.ut.us