Silent Skies: The Cost of Bird Extinction on Ecosystems

A recent study reveals the significant impact human-induced bird extinctions have had on functional diversity and evolutionary history, with over 600 species lost in 1,30,000 years. The loss affects ecosystems worldwide, highlighting the urgent need for global conservation strategies.

A groundbreaking study has highlighted the immense impact of human-induced bird extinctions on environmental functional diversity over the past 130,000 years. The research reveals a staggering loss of three billion years of unique evolutionary history due to the extinction of at least 600 bird species, including the famed Dodo and Kaua`i `o`o songbird.

The extinction events have wiped out about five percent of known bird species since the Late Pleistocene, with island species hit hardest. These losses are more pronounced in their phylogenetic diversity than random chance would predict, particularly for species gone before 1500 CE, researchers noted.

Lead author Tom Matthews from the University of Birmingham emphasized the critical consequences of losing such functional diversity, affecting key ecological roles like pollination and pest control. The findings stress the urgency for effective conservation strategies and ecosystem restoration efforts.

(With inputs from agencies.)