All About Birds

Baikal Teal

The Baikal Teal is also called Formosa Teal or Spectacled Teal. This migratory bird can be found in central and eastern Siberia. During the winter it migrates to China, Korea and Japan. It also sometimes goes to the Aleutian Islands and Alaska. It can even go as far as California. Because of the treat of overhunting, the Baikal Teal is now included in the list of endangered species by some of the leading wildlife organizations in the world. This used to be a very common bird, now they are slowly declining in number. In 1970s, its numbers declined the most, and there have been concerns that this bird will become extinct in the future.

Physical Appearance

The Baikal Teal has a brown or black color in the top portion of its head. It has buff and green patches on its face. It has a light brown breast with a little speckle of black. It has a bluish-gray side with scapulars that are long and taper. Its bill, legs and feet have a black color.

It is considered by the BirdLife International Organization as part of the list of endangered species. The Baikal Teal used to go in big flocks, but with the overhunting and other treats its numbers are significantly declining since the beginning of the twentieth century. Fortunately, it has an increasing number in Korea during the winter. Its main habitat are unprotected, disease outbreaks killed a large number of these birds, and dry rice fields are being replaced with vegetable farms which makes them lose the main food they eat. These are some of the leading reasons for the decline of the numbers of this bird, according to the BirdLife International. If there are no proper conservation and protective measure done for these birds, then they will continue to rapidly decrease in numbers. These are the main reasons why this bird is in the list of endangered species.

Overhunting

The overhunting being done by humans is the main reason for why there are only a small number of these birds left in the world. The Baikal Bird flies in large flocks making it easy for hunters to shoot or trap them. There are some places that are being protected to preserve the lives of the Baikal Teal. However, the treat is still around because the main breeding grounds of these birds are not yet protected. If there are no proper protection given to these birds in the places where it breeds and lives, then it will still be in the list of endangered species, and may soon be extinct.

Alternative Fuel Frenzy Leading to Extinction of Grassland Birds?

Just when we thought that nothing could go wrong with the green effort, here is a report about alternative fuel destroying the habitat of endangered species. Ethanol is a biofuel that is made from corn. When the U.S. Congress approved the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel source, corn prices went sky high. This also resulted in a huge runoff for fertilizer and the Gulf of Mexico becoming more polluted. All these were being dealt with accordingly since they were expected to happen. No one expected Grassland birds to start dropping in numbers. According to experts, the cause is the corn demand.

With the promise of high returns for planting corn, many are starting to turn American Heartland into corn fields. Their goal is to cash in on the “corn oil” and start experiencing their own personal economic recovery.Even with the grasslands as protected environments for the birds, there is a project to turn 2.5 million acres into corn fields. This has been going on for several years wherein parts of the preserved lands were taken off the preserved area. Thus, from 1982 up to 2002, approximately 24 million grassland acres have been converted.This brings to the spotlight the plight of the “Unlucky 13” which refers to 13 different species of grassland birds that are being threatened by the loss of their natural habitat. These birds are the lark Bunting, the Baird’s Sparrow, the Lesser Prairie Chicken, the Sprague’s Pipit, the Ferruginous Hawk, the McCown’s Longspur, the Scaled Quail, the Long-Billed Curlew, the Cassin’s Sparrow, the Burrowing Owl, the Greater Prairie Chicken, the Mountain Plover, and the Chestnut-collared Longspur.

If the conversion continues all 13 birds are facing extinction before the end of the century. This makes progress and human needs without planning the top reason why many animals are becoming extinct. It is something that can be worked out if everyone would be willing to listen and compromise. These birds can be saved. According to Jack Dumbacher who is the curator of mammals and birds in the California Academy of Science, we need birds to control mice and rat infestation, and to prevent insects from eating our food. They are also helpful in distributing pollen and seeds so that we can continue to enjoy trees. He says, that when “birds go extinct, trees also go extinct.”

Reference: Illustrated Encyclopedia of endangered animals.