Top 12 Birds Saved by Global Conservation Efforts: A Triumph of Human Will

The mournful cry of a bird that has died is a sound which we shall never hear again. Millennia of human action, habitat destruction, hunting, defilement, and introduction of invasive species have driven untold numbers of bird species to the edge of silence. However, amongst the depressing tales of grief, there is another story of great strength, of hope, of commitment, of miraculous recovery.

This article eulogizes that hope. We are going to travel to different continents in search of the best 12 birds whose existence alone is a miracle of global conservation. These are not mere tales of survival but road-maps on how mankind can get itself back on track and become the custodians of the natural world. The California Condor that flies down the canyonlands is a triumph that deserves to be celebrated as much as the tiny Kakapo crawling in the forests of New Zealand.

The Critical Role of Conservation

We should first know a little about the multi-faceted approach to conservation before we encounter these feathered survivors. Protecting a species is not something that can be easily done simply by attaching a label of protection to it. It is a multifaceted, decades-old effort that may include:

• Captive Breeding and Reintroduction: Breeding of animals in the confines of zoos and special facilities to increase their population levels before they are released into secure areas.
• Habitat Protection and Restoration: The obtaining and controlling of the land and resources the birds need to nest, feed and raise their young.
• Laws and Policies: Protection has a legal aspect since it is defined by the passage of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the US or other international agreements such as CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species).
• Invasive Species Control: Extinction or suppression of non-native predators (like rats, cats and stoats) and competitors that native, often isolated, bird populations had not evolved to handle.
• Community Engagement: Work with local communities to achieve sustainable livelihoods that are not only compatible with conservation goals, but which transform so-called threats into allies.

And now we shall find out what birds still remain with us, through the inexhaustible labors of these.

The Top 12 Avian Comeback Stories

1. The California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus)

Probably the most famous North American conservation tale. By 1982 the number of California Condor dropped to just 22 because of lead poisoning (through feeding on bullet fragments in carcasses), loss of habitat, and poaching. The radical but ill-advised step was taken to trap all the remaining wild condors to be used in a final captive breeding program.

The Comeback: The birds started breeding after careful attention at San Diego Zoo and the Los Angeles Zoo. There are now more than 500 California Condors, more than half of which fly free in California, Arizona, Utah and Baja California, Mexico thanks to constant releases and extensive management (including lead abatement programs). You will find it difficult to witness a living monument to human endurance when you see one of these giants with a span of just under 10 feet.

2. The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

The national symbol of the United States had been almost a national embarrassment. By the middle of the XX century, the number of Bald Eagles plummeted because of the extensive application of the pesticide DDT which resulted in defective eggs and infertility. By 1963 there were only 487 known nesting pairs left in the lower 48 states.

The Comeback: The prohibition of DDT in 1972 and its status as an endangered species under the newly created Endangered Species Act was the one-two punch that saved the eagle. Alongside protection of the habitat and education of the people, there was a spectacular recovery of the population. It was taken off the U.S. Endangered Species List in 2007 and is currently in a healthy population of more than 300,000.

3. The Mauritius Kestrel (Falco punctatus)

This tiny falcon is known as one of the greatest raptor recoveries in the world. It is endemic to the island of Mauritius, where it was wiped out by deforestation and pesticides, but most of all by invasive species such as cats and monkeys that ate its eggs and young. By 1974, it was believed to be the richest bird on earth, only four remaining.

The Comeback: A rigorous breeding program that included captive rearing, release of captive reared birds by hunting (called hacking), and feeding supplemented the Mauritius Kestrel to the point of total extinction. It is nowadays not completely safe, but with a population in the hundreds, stable.

4. The Kākāpō (Strigops habroptila)

The Kakapo is a bird that appears to go against all reason. It is a New Zealand flightless giant nocturnal parrot that sounds like a megawatt foghorn trying to find a mate. Its evolutionary approach of freezing when in danger did not serve it well against introduced mammalian predators. By the 1990s it was functionally extinct on the mainland.

The Comeback: All the rest of the population (only 51) was transferred to three predator-free offshore islands: Codfish, Anchor and Little Barrier. Each and every Kakapo is named and takes care of. Smart transmitters are utilized to monitor the health of conservationists, including hand-reared chicks. The population has now gradually but constantly passed 250 birds, having become amongst the most closely managed species on earth.

5. The Whooping Crane (Grus americana)

By 1941, the loss of habitat and hunting had driven the majestic Whooping Crane to an astounding 21 individuals in the wild. The journey between Canada and Texas was very dangerous to such a small group of people.

The Comeback: Secured habitat at their wintering grounds (Aransas National Wildlife Refuge) in Texas and in Canada was essential. One new program, Operation Migration, used ultralight aircraft to educate a new generation of cranes about the migration route and established a second, migratory population. Still threatened, having a total of approximately 500 in the wild, the trend is toward an increase, and their trumpeting call is heard by more and more people every year.

6. The Pink Pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri)

The Pink Pigeon is another Mauritian success story which was almost crushed by the same forces that wiped the Dodo out. It was estimated that by 1991 there were only 10 wild birds left, devastated by loss of habitat, hunting and alien predators.

The Return: This was based on an intensive captive breeding program in Mauritius and at the Gerald Durrell Zoo in Jersey (UK). Managed feeding stations, and, above all, an ongoing and vigorous program of predator control and habitat rehabilitation supported released birds. What was once 10 has now become over 500, a pink spot returned to the Mauritian forests.

7. The Northern Brown Kiwi (Apteryx mantelli)

The national icon of New Zealand was on its knees. Kiwi chicks are so exposed to introduced stoats, cats, and dogs because they have no natural mammal predators. At some point, 95 percent of all the kiwi chicks were killed when they were less than six months old.

The Secret: Community conservation. Programs such as Operation Nest Egg are hard to disregard where eggs are collected in the wild, hatched in secure situations and released into predator-dominated sanctuaries. The most successful programme, Kiwi for Kiwi, is giving local communities the power to trap predators. These have seen the decline reduced to 2% population growth per year in areas under control.

8. The Bermuda Petrel (Pterodroma cahow)

The "Cahow" was thought to have become extinct more than 300 years ago, but was rediscovered in 1951 with a small nesting population on remote islets in Bermuda. First it fell because of colonization--sailors and imported pigs and rats ate the innocent ground nesting birds.

The Comeback: This multi-decade initiative led by Bermudian conservationist David Wingate was designed to create artificial nesting burrows so they would not be eroded or out-competed by the larger White-tailed Tropicbird. This, along with rat eradication and translocation to a larger and safer island (Nonsuch Island), has resulted in a population of one hundred and over breeding pairs, a literal Lazarus species, raised from the dead.

9. The Asian Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon)

This beautiful white and red ibis became common throughout East Asia, but hunting its beautiful feathers, loss of habitats, and pesticides drove it nearly to extinction. As of 1981, seven birds could be found in one isolated region of the Shaanxi province in China.

The Revival: The Chinese government proclaimed the region a conservation reserve and initiated an aggressive conservation program. Local communities had been recruited to defend the birds and their habitat, and they even forbade the use of pesticides in the region. Captive breeding and reintroduction combined have seen the population grow to more than 7,000 birds, and also populations have been set up in Japan and South Korea.

10. The Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis)

Considered a symbol of good fortune, life-span, and faithfulness in East Asia, the Red-crowned Crane witnessed the loss of its essential wetland areas to develop and grow agriculture. Its wintering areas in Korea and Japan became very broken.

The Comeback: China, Russia, Korea and Japan have had to work together internationally. Important wetlands are declared as protected reserves (such as the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea). In extreme winters, conservationists feed them supplementally to keep them alive. Although still threatened, the population stability of approximately 3,000 birds is evidence of cross-border cooperation to share a common natural heritage.

11. The Echo Parakeet (Psittacula eques)

Another victim of deforestation and invasive species was the Echo Parakeet, the last surviving parrot on the Mascarene islands (Mauritius). By 1986, the number had decreased to 8-12 individuals and they were all sharing the few nesting holes with non-native bees and starlings.

The Comeback: The revival program was strikingly similar to the Mauritius Kestrel: heavy micromanagement of each and every person. Nest boxes, extra food and hand-reared chicks were given by conservationists. The population has reacted splendidly, increasing to above 800 people, and is no longer Critically Endangered, but has moved to Vulnerable, in its IUCN Red List.

12. The Norfolk Island Green Parrot (Cyanoramphus cookii)

The bright green parrot is endemic to the small Australian Island of Norfolk which has been almost completely cleared of its native rainforest. Rats and cats which fed on eggs and chicks and introduced birds that competed over nesting hollows invaded the remaining fragments.

The Comeback: A specialized recovery initiative erected more than 200 predator-proof nest boxes atop trees beyond the reach of rats. The parrots have been given a fighting chance due to aggressive management of invasive predators and a program to plant a thousand native trees to provide the birds with a home. Fewer than 50 birds have become over 200, four times the population.

Our Role in the Future of Conservation

The lives of these twelve birds demonstrate that extinction is not the only way. They provide a potent reminder that we can do the extraordinary when we make the intentional choice to act with purpose, funding, and international cooperation.

Never is the work finished, however. These threats to the birds have not been eliminated but instead controlled. Keeping conservation laws in place, providing money to wildlife conservation agencies, and making wise decisions in our own lives, whether it is by buying responsible products or keeping our cats inside, are all elements of seeing these comeback stories become everlasting.

The song of birds which welcomes the dawn is richer due to such attempts. It is a song we need to keep fighting to get, on their behalf, and ours.