Seven more birds from India have been added to the IUCN Red list. The latest Red list of birds released by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for 2015 shows that a total of 180 bird species in India are now threatened, as against 173 last year. Among the latest to be added include Northern lapwing (a grassland bird) and four wetland birds, viz. Red Knot, Curlew Sandpiper, Eurasian Oystercatcher and Bar-Tailed Godwit.
Horned Grebe and Common Pochard two other wetland birds have been uplisted from least Concerned to Vulnerable. Similarly, Steppe Eagle which is a regular winter visitor to the Indian subcontinent, has also been uplisted from least Concerned to Endangered.
According to Dr Deepak Apte, Director BNHS, the list of threatened species keeps on increasing with every assessment. “This only indicates that our efforts for conservation of species are not adequate. We need to logically rethink the developmental agenda, especially for the habitats and areas where these species exist,” Apte said.