Extinction threatens almost 20 per cent of European bird species, the German non-governnmental conservation organisation NABU reported on Thursday on the basis of a survey by Bird Life International.
The survey put 110 of the 544 species for which data were gathered on Bird Life International’s Red List, with a further 166 species showing decline.
Most at risk are songbirds, such as larks, shrikes and buntings, with the decline being attributed to loss of habitat and the use of agricultural chemicals.
NABU noted that domestic species, such as snipes, swifts and quails had skipped a category and were now seen as endangered across Europe. Seabirds, including the velvet scoter, were now endangered as a result of fisheries and water pollution.
The diversity of European bird life continued to be threatened by agriculture and building, exploitation of the sea, poor forestry practices, pollution and illegal killing of certain species, NABU head Leif Miller said.
Climate change was also affecting the habitats of numerous bird species.
Some species are making a recovery. Kingfishers and red kites have been removed from the Red List, and a number of raptor species arebenefiting from targeted conservation measures.
The list took in data from 54 countries and regions, with thousands of experts and volunteers contributing to collecting the information. — dpa
