Pink Pigeon

Columba (Streptopelia) mayeri

Thanks to the dedicated work of conservationists, the pink pigeon has been saved from extinction, and numbers have dramatically increased over the last decade. But without continued intensive management, including a captive breeding program, the species would be likely to become extinct. A close relative of the abundant and widespread wood pigeon of Europe and parts of Asia, the pink pigeon is one of the most attractive members of the large family of pigeons and doves. This group has suffered more than most from extinction, with almost a third of the 309 surviving species classified as Threatened or Lower Risk, near threatened. Over 80 percent of them are island species, as were all but one of the 13 species of pigeons and doves that have recently become extinct. [Read more]

Galapagos Penguin

Spheniscus mendiculus

The only species of penguin to live on the Equator, the portly Galapagos penguin breeds on at least five of the Galapagos Islands. Because of its restricted range and very small population, a sharp decline in numbers is particularly disturbing. Penguins are normally associated with cold habitats in and around Antarctica, although several species have ranges that include warmer climates. The Humboldt penguin, for instance, breeds in coastal Chile and Peru. However, the Galapagos penguin a close relative of the Humboldt is the only species that lives entirely within the tropics, on at least five islands of the Galapagos group. Life at such latitudes is challenging for the birds, since their insulating plumage, underlying fat, and specialized blood heat exchange-all [Read more]

Philippine Eagle

Pithecophaga jefferyi

One of the rarest of the world’s birds of prey, the Philippine eagle is in a precarious situation. Its small and rapidly declining population is threatened by forest destruction and fragmentation. The Philippine eagle is a flagship species for wildlife conservation on four of the Philippine group of islands. Predictions of its imminent extinction have been made since the 1960s, but the species hangs on in the face of immense odds. Conservationists believe that most of the population is equally distributed between the large islands of Luzon and Mindanao (an estimated 105 pairs), while the smaller islands of Samar and Leyte house only an estimated eight pairs between them. However, these figures are based mostly on forest-cover data, and more precise information on numbers is not available. The Philippine eagle is a huge and powerful predator. It waits on a [Read more]

Hyacinth Macaw

The world’s largest parrot, the hyacinth macaw is a spectacular vivid blue South American bird. It has suffered a massive decline in numbers over the last 40 years due mainly to illegal trapping for private collectors. Once relatively numerous across much of its range in Brazil, the hyacinth macaw is now rare in most of its former strongholds. The largest population occurs in the Brazilian part of the Pantanal region-a huge, grassy plain about the size of Iowa that straddles the southwestern Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, extending southeast into Bolivia and Paraguay. Dotted with palms and other trees and shrubs, the habitat is flooded during the rainy season, peaking in about February to become the biggest freshwater wetland in the world. Even here numbers of the great blue parrots have declined alarmingly in recent times. [Read more]