[HN Gopher] We've underrated what these birds can do: the secret... ___________________________________________________________________ We've underrated what these birds can do: the secret life of Skomer's guillemots Author : YeGoblynQueenne Score : 17 points Date : 2023-09-16 09:53 UTC (1 days ago) (HTM) web link (www.theguardian.com) (TXT) w3m dump (www.theguardian.com) | throwaway128128 wrote: | I've only seen pigeon guillemots, but I am in love with them. | They have so much spunk and personality. They appear to be very | playful too, they do aerial acrobatic competitions, perform | splashy takedowns in exaggerated comic fashion, their courtship | displays are a circling ballet with offerings of fish. They even | seem to "laugh" riotously as a group when something outrageous | happens. Guillemots aren't flashy but they are charming as all | heck for patient birdwatchers. | myshpa wrote: | For those who really care about nature and biodiversity, adopting | a vegan lifestyle is a clear choice. | | > Globally, seabird numbers have fallen by 70% since the 1950s, | and in northern Britain most seabird populations have had | significant declines in recent years. | | > It doesn't look great for any wildlife. Human-made factors are | eating into our natural ecology, it's just so sad | | https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2216573120 | | Farmland practices are driving bird population decline across | Europe | | https://www.iucn.org/content/worrying-declines-worlds-seabir... | | The review reveals that seabirds are now more threatened than any | other group of birds. Of the 346 seabird species, 97 (28%) are | globally threatened, and a further 10% are listed as Near | Threatened. Almost half of all seabird species are known or | suspected to be experiencing population declines. The albatross | family is especially imperiled, with 17 of the 22 species | currently threatened with extinction. | | At sea, commercial fisheries have depleted fish stocks, an | important food source for seabirds, and caused the death of | innumerable seabirds through accidental bycatch. On land, the | introduction of invasive species has destroyed many breeding | colonies. | | https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/sep/05/d... | | Between 1950 and 2010, globally monitored populations plummeted | by 70%. In the UK alone, nesting seabirds have declined by 30% | since 2001. Seabirds are now counted as one of the most | threatened groups of birds in the world. | | Their numbers have been cut down by invasive species, | overfishing, entanglements in fishing gear (bycatch), plastic | pollution, oil spills and decades of habitat destruction. | | https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/seabird-... | | Lost at Sea: Why the Birds You Don't See Are Fading Away | | The problem was the indiscriminate fishing method known as | gillnetting. Hauling a huge net to the surface of the ocean | sweeps up not only the target fish but also porpoises, otters, | turtles, and diving seabirds. Today at least 400,000 seabirds are | killed worldwide every year in gill nets--murres and puffins and | diving ducks in northern waters, penguins and diving petrels off | the coast of South America. The annual toll on murres alone may | equal the 146,000 killed in the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in | Alaska. | jononomo wrote: | I don't see the connection between adopting a vegan lifestyle | and caring about biodiversity. You yourself point out that | farmland practices are driving bird population decline, but | vegans eat food that is produced on farms. I follow a carnivore | diet because I think it is best for the nature and biodiversity | -- I avoid eating plants that have been sprayed with pesticides | that kill the bugs that the birds eat. | readthenotes1 wrote: | Avoid windmills too. ___________________________________________________________________ (page generated 2023-09-17 23:00 UTC)