Top 12 Birds That Recently Went Extinct: A Tragic Loss for Biodiversity

Introduction

The recent disappearance of birds in the last couple of centuries is a bitter wake up call of how humanity has affected nature. Extinctions Predation and hunting of birds have been fueled bythe destruction of their habitats, climate change and invasive species. Some have disappeared a very long time ago, others, only recently shockingly so.

This paper is going to discuss 12 extinct bird species in recent history, their physical attributes, and why their extinguishment is tragic. Knowing how these losses happened can assist us in preserving the other surviving avian species before it becomes too late.

1. Spx’s Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) – Extinct 2018 in Wild.

Why went it became extinct?

The Spix’s Macaw, also known from the movie Rio as the “Blue Macaw”, officially went extinct in the wild in 2018 as a result of habitat destruction and the black market pet trade.

Key Facts:

• Indigenous peoples of Brazil’s disappearing forests.
• There are less about 160 people kept in captivity.
• Conservation tries to re-introduce.

2. Poʻouli (Melamprosops phaeosoma) – Extinct (2004)

What Caused It to become Extinct?

This Honeycreeper Hawaiian bird was also masquerading as Black-faced honeycreeper and became extinct because of habitat destruction, the invasion of species and the disease. There was a death in captivity in 2004 with the last known still living one.

Key Facts:

• It became known only in 1973.
• By the 1990s there were under 200.
• Unsuccessful captive breeding doomed it.

3. Alaotra Grebe (Tachybaptus rufolavatus) -Extinct (2010)

How come it became extinct?

This is a Madagascan endemic grebe which was driven to extinction by the presence of introduced fish species,the destruction of its habitat and fishing nets. It was considered extinct in 2010 and the last sighting was a confirmed 1985 sighting.

Key Facts:

• Occurred only in Lake Alaotra, Madagascar.
• Its breakdown was hastened by hybridization with other grebes.

4. The Pinta Island Finch, (Extinct 20th Century) Companion to Pinta Island Tortoise

The Reason It Became Extinct?

Not as well-known as the Lonesome George, the last Pinta Island Tortoise, the Pinta Island Finch also became extinct thanks to the invading rats and habitat destruction.

Key Facts:

• Native to Galapagos.
• The last instances of it can be observed in the early XX century.

5. Bachman s Warbler ( Vermivora bachmanii ) -Extinct (1980s)

So Why Did It become Extinct?

A formerly southeastern U.S. bird, this warbler went extinct as a result of deforestation and draining swamps. It was last spotted in the year 1988.

Key Facts:

• One of the rarest songbirds of North America.
• Additionally to this was also the loss of habitat in Cuba.

6. Hawaiian Crow (Corvus hawaiiensis) Mythered (1907)

So What Caused Its Extinction?

Due to loss of habitat, disease and invasive predators, the Alal a or the Hawaiian Crow became extinct in the wild.

Key Facts:

• There is only about 100 that are held captive.
• Attempts of reintroduction have not been easy.

7. Ivory-Billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) Keeping Rare (Last Observed 2004)

What Caused It to Go Extinct?

Their Lord God Bird was hunted as a source of feathers, also had its habitat destroyed through logging. It was pronounced as extinct in 2021 though sightings were unproven.

Key Facts:

• Among the largest of the woodpeckers.
• Last sighting was in 1944.

8. Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis) (1844)

What Caused It to go Extinct?

The Great Auk was hunted both as a meat, feathers, and sources of oil supply wiped out by the mid-1800s. The final two were killed in 1844 in Iceland.

Key Facts:

• It is incapable of flight, and looks like a penguin.
• Formerly very plentiful in the North Atlantic.

9. Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) Extant (1914)

The reason it went extinct.

Hunted to death, the Passenger Pigeon which was once the most numerous bird in North America had been exterminated. The latter one Martha passed on in 1914.

Key Facts:

• Clouds of flocks used to darken skies.
• Market hunting doomed it.

10. Carolina Parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis) Extinct (1918)

Why Extinction?

The only indigenous U.S. parrot was pest hunted and feathered. The then surviving one perished in jails back in 1918.

Key Facts:

• Green and lemon yellow feathers.
• At one time, widespread in the eastern U.S.

11. Laysan Honeycreeper (Himatione fraithii) -Extinct (1923)

Why was It Exterminated?

The rats, destruction of habitats and the disease exterminated this Hawaiian bird.

Key Facts:

• Last spotted on Laysan Island.
• The surviving Apapane is closely related.

12. Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) – Extinct (Late 17 th Century)

So why did it become extinct?

Although it became extinct earlier, Dodo lives as a symbol of the human origin of extinction. They were hunted by sailors and out-competed by invasive species and became extinct by 1681.

Key Facts:

• Island-living bird with a lack of flight.
• The emblem of extinction and extinction.

Closer Look at the role of Human activity in Bird Extinctions:

A major cause of extinction of various species of birds over the recent centuries has been human activity. Although natural events such as volcanoes eruptions and climate changes have been known to drive extinctions previously, the increase in the speed of the loss of birds in the past few years cannot be ignored and demands a human activity cause. There are some common ways that the man has contributed to the extinction of these marvelous beings, and in the following, we consider those factors.

1. Leading Cause of Extinction Habitat Destruction The Leading Cause of Extinction

Agricultural expansion, urbanization and deforestation have destroyed the habitat of birds all over the world. A high number of extinct birds in our list relied on their home being preserved by avoiding logging and conversion of land use as was the case of Spix Macaw and Bachman Warbler.

• Nesting of macaws and parrots has been decimated by deforestation of the Amazon.
• The draining of the wetlands in the U.S. negated essential habitats to Carolina Parakeet and Ivory-Billed Woodpecker.

Is Habitat Loss Reversible?

Although some of it is permanent, efforts have assisted the process of the restoration of some species such as reforestation of areas once dominated by trees and isolated animal reserves.

2. Overhunting and Abuse

Several bird species were hunted to extinction as food or ornaments or as pets. Relentless hunting eliminated the Great Auk and Passenger Pigeon, and the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker was valued because of its beautiful plumage.

• Passenger pigeons were hunted in the 19 th century and became extinct in a very short period of time.
• Poaching of wild animals is still undermining animals such as the Spix Macaw.

Stronger Laws, the Answer?

Tough anti poaching laws and global prohibitions on trade in birds (such as CITES) have assisted, but protection on the ground is patchy.

3. Invasive species: Invasion killers

Rats, cats, and snakes which bring down the bird population on islands have been non-native predators. The Po ʻouli and Laysan Honeycreeper could not cope with invasive species.

• Ships brought rats that consumed laboratory eggs of ground nesters.
• In Australia and Hawaii feral cats have wiped out all the bird colonies.

Is It Possible to Eliminate invasive species?

Triumphant illustrations of island restoration (such as in New Zealand) demonstrate that eradication of invasives may permit locally native bird populations to recover.

4. Climate change: An Increasing danger

Not the main cause of extinctions in the past, however, current trends of increase in temperature and a change in ecosystem present a threat to birds such as the Hawaiian Crow.

• Migration, food source is disrupted by changing weather patterns.
• Coastal nesting areas are flooded by rising of the sea level.

Can Anything be Done?

Through decreasing carbon emissions to save those species that are vulnerable to the weather changes because of climate change, preservation of key areas will also be helpful.

Concluding Remarks: Lessons as a Result of the Past

The eradication of these 12 birds acts as a lesson learnt and at the same time an example of what to conserve. Future losses can be prevented by finding solutions to the sets of habitat loss, hunting, invasive species and climate change.

Conclusion: Will We Be Able to Stop Subsequent Extinctions?

The extinction of these 12 species of birds raises concerns on how man is affecting life so much that he is contributing to the destruction of species. Nonetheless, there is hope through conservation of some species of the birds that are on the brink of extinction such as the Spixs Macaw and Hawaiian Crow among others.

There are some ways you can help:

• Protect habitat.
• Minimize the use of plastic (stops the dumping of plastic in the ocean).
• Support the enactment of more vigorous laws on protection of wildlife.

Out of these extinctions we can create a better future where no more birds are driven to extinction.