BirdLife International is a worldwide group dedicated to preserving endangered species of birds, and it is mobilizing to protect some 200 varieties in particular. It is now seeking 37.8M for the effort from concerned donors, according to the Associated Press. Among the problems facing the endangered birds are loss of habitat and overdevelopment, invasive competitive species and other predators, and poaching. The cash will be allocated to habitat protection and to raising the awareness of the general public. We dug a little further into the BirdLife International website, and found this paragraph on the hardships faced by migratory species: "Migratory birds face a multitude of threats during migration. They may fall victim to hazardous weather, lack of food or water, or predators. On top of this, hundreds of millions of migrants are trapped and shot every year in many countries. Staging and wintering areas are often subject to human alteration: forests are being converted to plantations, savannas are affected by desertification, wetlands are drained, converted to agriculture or heavily used by tourists."
RBR observation: We do our best to be kind to birds at our own house, giving them a place to find food, water and shelter, and we are glad that concerned organizations are making a serious effort to look after their welfare. We also note that this particular organization did not get around to mentioning communications towers, even when discussing migratory species that are supposed to be most at risk. Does that mean the ongoing birds v. towers flap isn’t that big of a deal?
