The 2021 Red List update brought alarming news that three fascinating iconic African savanna raptor species are rapidly declining due to multiple threats.
A panoramic view of sun-drenched African savannah and vast grasslands connects us to our human ancestors through the depths of time.
In this landscape you always see large birds soaring, such as vultures, but their numbers are decreasing.
African vultures are not only seriously threatened by poisoning and persecution. Related savannah bird icons are also increasingly endangered. The Secretary Bird, with its distinctive feathers that resemble “a secretary with spines behind their ear,” ranks third among endangered species.
The threats to these birds are numerous.
For example, hot loss of habitat as one of the main culprits due to agriculture and urban development.
Even raptors nesting in protected areas are not safe. Recent research reports a juvenile mortality rate of 46% in the first three years (source: birdlife.org).
Protected areas are crucial, but we must also take action outside them. Strategic environmental assessments for infrastructure, agriculture and energy should protect birds, especially outside protected areas.
Just as the Western world once convinced African cultures to protect their mammals for conservation and tourism, a similar approach is now needed for large birds of prey.
Still want to see these rarer large birds in the wild? Then consider a SAFARI in East Africa. Before departure, here are some questions and answers or
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