Waterbirds and Plovers
Seabirds |
Bustards
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Raptors
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Songbirds
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Others
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Fig. 4.10: Number of migratory raptors. Total bar: species numbers within the family, black: number of migrants. |
Abb. 4.10: Anzahl wandernder Greifvögel. Balken (gesamt): Artenzahlen innerhalb einer |
As top predators, raptors suffer from accumulation of organochlorines and heavy metals. Kim et al. (1999) report lead poisoning in Steller’s sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) and white-tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), from secondary poisoning through ingestion of lead shot embedded in the tissue of their prey. After severe declines of most species during the 1950s and 1960s, the ban on DDT and other pesticides led to a recovery of some species. A detailed long-time study from Sweden, based on raptor autumn migration since the early 1940s, summarises the complex picture of population development for distinct species (Kjellen & Roos 2000). Populations of white-tailed eagles stabilised in Sweden, and are growing in Germany and other countries of its north-western breeding range (Hauff 1998, and Figure A2.62). In contrast, populations of lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) declined up to 95% since 1950, and the species got locally extinct in the Ural region and northern Kazakhstan (Figure A2.66, and references therein).
Raptors are comparatively well protected by national and international law, threats are well-known, and they are well-monitored within the framework of special conservation programs. Positive results are reported from various countries, but on a global level there is still a lack of implementation and enforcement of legislation and action plans.
This document is part of the publication "Riede, K. (2001): The Global Register of Migratory Species Database, GIS Maps and Threat Analysis. Münster (Landwirtschaftsverlag), 400 pp."
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