Africa's Birds of Prey Are in Decline, a New Study Finds – The New York Times

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Numbers have dropped, in some cases sharply, for nearly all of the 42 raptor species surveyed in sub-Saharan regions.
By Rachel Nuwer
Silhouettes of patrolling raptors filled skies throughout Africa as recently as a few decades ago, but it’s much less common to spot those birds of prey today. Now, new research gives an indication of just how sharp the birds’ decline has been.
According to a study published Thursday in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, 88 percent of 42 African raptor species have suffered declines over the past 20 to 40 years, and 69 percent are either more endangered than previously thought or now meet criteria for being threatened with extinction.
“We’re looking at really iconic species in Africa that are declining significantly,” said Darcy Ogada, the African program director at the Peregrine Fund, a nonprofit conservation group that focuses on birds of prey, and an author of the study. “It’s a wake-up call.”
Raptors, carnivorous birds that feed on other vertebrates, play crucial ecological roles as both apex predators that keep other species’ populations in check and as scavengers that recycle nutrients back into the food web and limit the spread of disease around carcasses. “Losing either of those groups is going to have major trickle-down impacts to the rest of the ecosystem,” Dr. Ogada said.
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