Nature & Environment
Rare Stone Curlews found Dead in UK due to Starvation
Benita Matilda
First Posted: Apr 10, 2013 10:51 AM EDT
The cold spring is putting one of the U.K.'s rarest birds at high risk, states RSPB, according to BBC.
Over the past few days, the officials have spotted the bodies of eight stone curlews, the most threatened birds, in the fields of Norflok, Sufflok and Wiltshire. The extended winter and late spring have left the region's wildlife to struggle for its survival.
Reports, according to Birdwatch, claim that these birds that are generally found in the tropical and temperate parts of the world have returned from Africa and Spain that are their wintering grounds and died due to starvation in the U.K.
Also known as 'Thick Knees,' these birds are largely nocturnal and mainly feed on insects and invertebrates. According to RSPB. The U.K. has just 400 pairs of these thick knees.
In a press statement the Conservation director Martin Harper states that this is a reminder of how fragile these birds are, reports BBC.
The dead birds weighed about 300 g while a healthy bird weighs about 450 g.
"We are also hearing about a steady trickle of swallows making their way up through the country and with temperatures on the rise the situation could start to look different in the coming days. As the global temperature continues to rise to this is another reminder that we must ensure our landscapes are in the best state possible to help wildlife cope with the increasingly unpredictable weather it will bring," Harper was quoted in Edp24.
Apart from the stone curlews, the officials are getting news about birds like yellowhammers and reed buntings, which are struggling to survive due to lack of food in the countryside.
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First Posted: Apr 10, 2013 10:51 AM EDT
The cold spring is putting one of the U.K.'s rarest birds at high risk, states RSPB, according to BBC.
Over the past few days, the officials have spotted the bodies of eight stone curlews, the most threatened birds, in the fields of Norflok, Sufflok and Wiltshire. The extended winter and late spring have left the region's wildlife to struggle for its survival.
Reports, according to Birdwatch, claim that these birds that are generally found in the tropical and temperate parts of the world have returned from Africa and Spain that are their wintering grounds and died due to starvation in the U.K.
Also known as 'Thick Knees,' these birds are largely nocturnal and mainly feed on insects and invertebrates. According to RSPB. The U.K. has just 400 pairs of these thick knees.
In a press statement the Conservation director Martin Harper states that this is a reminder of how fragile these birds are, reports BBC.
The dead birds weighed about 300 g while a healthy bird weighs about 450 g.
"We are also hearing about a steady trickle of swallows making their way up through the country and with temperatures on the rise the situation could start to look different in the coming days. As the global temperature continues to rise to this is another reminder that we must ensure our landscapes are in the best state possible to help wildlife cope with the increasingly unpredictable weather it will bring," Harper was quoted in Edp24.
Apart from the stone curlews, the officials are getting news about birds like yellowhammers and reed buntings, which are struggling to survive due to lack of food in the countryside.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone