BTO: Over Half of Migratory Bird Species in Major Decline — SkimNews
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- British Trust for Ornithology, working with international conservation organizations, found that more than half of global migratory bird species are suffering major declines in numbers
- Many of the threatened species use the African-Eurasian flyway, described in the report as one of the largest mass-migration systems on the planet
- The climate crisis is identified as the standout driver, hitting migratory birds through both long-term shifts and increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather events
- Habitat loss, disease, and pesticide use are also cited as compounding causes alongside climate
- The current European heatwave is referenced as the latest — and 'definitely not the last' — example of the extreme weather now battering flyway routes
- The report calls for conservation strategies that address threats across birds' full lifecycles and along all international flyways, paired with closer-to-home habitat creation and preservation
Why it matters: With more than half of migratory species already declining and climate-driven extremes intensifying, the report reframes bird conservation as an international lifecycle problem — demanding coordinated action across every flyway, not just local habitat patches.
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