Threats to birds due to environmental reasons

Deaths of Grey pelicans in Srikakulam, and larger issue of risk to birds

Threats to birds due to environmental reasons

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• The story: Around 130 grey pelicans have died in Telineelapuram village, in the Tekkali Mandal of Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh, in January 2022. The cause of death has been found to be nematode (roundworm) infestation. The first bird was found dead under a tree December 28, 2021.
• About the Grey pelican: The spot-billed pelican (Pelecanus philippensis) or grey pelican is a member of the pelican family. It breeds in southern Asia from southern Iran across India east to Indonesia. It is a bird of large inland and coastal waters, especially large lakes. At a distance they are difficult to differentiate from other pelicans in the region although it is smaller but at close range the spots on the upper mandible, the lack of bright colours and the greyer plumage are distinctive. In some areas these birds’ nest in large colonies close to human habitations.
• Birds facing extinction due to environmental reasons: There are many as detailed below.

1. The Great India Bustard - It is counted as one of the largest and weightiest birds in the world. Its weight is a big problem, though. Apart from that, the bird cannot see straight ahead. It can sight anything from the side. For that reason, when it finds an electric wire, it cannot move to the other side. As a result, it is caught in the maze of wire and loses its life. On the other hand, the small birds can easily sight an electric wire and duck it.
2. Parrots - In the last five years, over 2500 birds, mostly parrots, have died after feeding on jamun and mango trees in Faridkot, Punjab. Environmentalists have observed a pattern in the death of these birds. They die every year before or during the monsoons, after feeding on chemical-laced jamun and other fruiting trees. Most of the dead birds have been found near or under these trees. Following repeated pleas for the protection of birds, Chandigarh-based social activist and advocate H. C. Arora filed a petition with the National Green Tribunal which ordered the chief wildlife warden of Punjab to hold an inquiry.
3. Vultures - Nine species of vulture can be found living in India, but most are now in danger of extinction. The dramatic vulture decline observed across India presents a range of ecological threats, by influencing the numbers and distribution of other scavenging species. In 2003, after research on the possible viral causes of the decline, the culprit was discovered by Dr. Lindsay Oaks and his team at The Peregrine Fund to be diclofenac. Diclofenac is a common anti-inflammatory drug administered to livestock and is used to treat the symptoms of inflammation, fevers and/or pain associated with disease or wounds. It was widely used in India beginning in the 1990s. The drug is fatal to vultures, however, and a vulture gets exposed to a mortal dose of diclofenac on eating from the carcass of an animal that has been treated with diclofenac recently. A simulation model demonstrated that if only 1% of carcasses were contaminated by diclofenac, Indian vulture populations would fall by between 60% and 90% annually, and a study of carcasses showed that about 10% were contaminated.  

• Summary: Impact of extinction and endangered condition of bird species can be tangible such as in the form of a loss in crop pollination and water purification. The loss can lead to consequences for other species by impacting the food chain. Effects of extinction will worsen in the coming decades as the resulting genetic and cultural variability will change entire ecosystems. When the number of individuals in a population or species drops too low, its contributions to ecosystem functions and services become unimportant, its genetic variability and resilience is reduced, and its contribution to human welfare may be lost.
• EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) Human-animal conflicts have increased in recent times. What are the ecological consequences of the same? Discuss. (2) Continuing "Sixth Mass Extinction" is the serious environmental threats to the existence of civilisation. Comment and suggest ways to prevent it.

#birdsatrisk #endangeredspecies

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