Global report finds one in nine migratory bird species threatened with extinction

A cross-border conservation warning

One in nine migratory bird species is threatened with extinction and 45 percent of the group’s species are declining, according to a global assessment released alongside a conservation summit in Nairobi. The findings place familiar long-distance travellers, including turtle doves, cuckoos and Arctic terns, within a wider deterioration affecting ecosystems that cross continents and political borders.

The State of the World’s Birds assessment identifies habitat loss, intensive agriculture, pollution, invasive species, unsustainable hunting and global heating as major pressures. The Guardian reported that seven migratory species have disappeared or are suspected to have disappeared during the past 150 years. Seabirds and shorebirds are especially exposed because they depend on vulnerable coasts, wetlands and marine food systems.

Monitoring cited in the report classified 58 percent of 1,099 important sites for migratory birds as being in poor or very poor condition. Illegal killing is another large threat: the estimate for Europe, the Mediterranean, the Caucasus and the Arabian Peninsula ranges from 13.1 million to 42.7 million birds taken each year.

Finance begins to follow the flyways

The Nairobi meeting produced a declaration involving governments, scientists, conservation organisations and financial institutions. Three development banks plan to incorporate flyway protection into lending frameworks. The Guardian reported an initial total of at least $6 billion for habitat protection and restoration, with further multibillion-dollar commitments extending across Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

The Asian Development Bank plans to mobilise $3 billion over a decade for at least 50 priority wetlands along the East Asian-Australasian route. A Latin American and Caribbean development bank outlined between $3 billion and $5 billion through 2050 for more than 30 landscapes and seascapes. Those commitments recognise that habitat projects can also support communities dependent on wetlands and other shared ecosystems.

The report also records evidence that coordinated intervention works. Removing invasive animals from Australia’s Macquarie Island helped several seabird populations recover. China restored tens of thousands of hectares of coastal mudflats by clearing an introduced grass, while wetland restoration at Wallasea Island in Britain brought large seasonal concentrations of waterbirds back to the site.

UN and FAO material provides broader institutional context: international observances and food-security work treat migratory species as indicators of ecosystem health and as contributors to pest control and disease surveillance. The next test is implementation—whether lenders publish binding safeguards, projects protect the most degraded sites and governments measure population recovery across entire migration routes rather than isolated reserves.