Puffins, vultures and parrots at risk of global extinction

Puffins and turtle doves are among four UK bird species now at risk of global extinction, according to a new international assessment. Atlantic puffins, European turtle doves, Slavonian grebes and pochards have been listed as vulnerable to extinction in the latest annual revision of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species for birds. It brings the number of UK bird species at risk of global extinction to eight, while another 14 UK species are considered to be 'near threatened' - which means further declines in their fortunes could see them under threat of dying out. There is even worse news for African vultures, according to the IUCN Red List, which shows that six species are now facing a higher risk of extinction as a result of poisoning, use in traditional medicine and targeting by poachers to hide illegal animal kills. Four of the species whose status has worsened are now in the most threatened category of critically endangered, the assessment carried out by BirdLife International has shown. Worldwide, 40 bird species have seen their fortunes decline, with helmeted hornbills in South East Asia, the Australian swift parrot and the chestnut-capped piha in the Central Andes of Colombia all newly listed as critically endangered. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3294689/Puffins-turtle-doves-risk-global-extinction.html