Oriental Stork
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| Oriental Stork |
Found in the lowland forests and wetlands of many Asian countries, this long-necked, long-legged bird has seen its numbers dwindle sharply due to deforestation and wetlands draining. Roughly 50 oriental storks live in the wild, and 100 are kept in a public park in Toyooka, Japan.
California Condor
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| California Condor |
While just 279 condors exist in the wild today, it’s a vast improvement since the late 1980s, when the population of the largest flying bird in the Western Hemisphere dipped to 22. No wild condors existed between 1988 and 1991, but reintroduction began a year later and continues today. Still, a leading threat to condor recovery is lead poisoning from ingestion of ammunition.
Yellow Eared Parrot
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| Yellow Eared Parrot |
Thought to be all but extinct in 1999 due to its popularity in the exotic pet trade industry, this aerial beauty is one of Latin America’s most successful conservation efforts. Today more than 1,000 specimens live in wax palm trees in the cloud forests of the Colombian Andes.
Blue-Throated Macaw
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| Blue-Throated Macaw |
Classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the total wild population of the blue-throated macaw is believed to only be 250. This stunning species, which usually lives in bonded pairs, has two main threats: destruction of the bird’s ecosystem from cattle ranching in the bird’s Bolivian ecosystem and the illegal worldwide pet trade.
Galápagos Penguins
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| Galápagos Penguins |
The population of the only penguin to live in the Northern Hemisphere has taken quite a blow since the 1970s, decreasing by an estimated 50 percent. While habitat loss and competition for food from invasive species are part of the penguin’s daily struggle, one conservation group is doing its best to ensure sunny skies are on the bird’s horizon. In October 2010 biologists from the University of Washington constructed more than 120 nesting sites for the penguins in an effort to give them a fighting chance against predators. Scientists estimate that only 2,000 specimens exist in the wild.
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