[HN Gopher] We've underrated what these birds can do: the secret...
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       We've underrated what these birds can do: the secret life of
       Skomer's guillemots
        
       Author : YeGoblynQueenne
       Score  : 17 points
       Date   : 2023-09-16 09:53 UTC (1 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.theguardian.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.theguardian.com)
        
       | throwaway128128 wrote:
       | I've only seen pigeon guillemots, but I am in love with them.
       | They have so much spunk and personality. They appear to be very
       | playful too, they do aerial acrobatic competitions, perform
       | splashy takedowns in exaggerated comic fashion, their courtship
       | displays are a circling ballet with offerings of fish. They even
       | seem to "laugh" riotously as a group when something outrageous
       | happens. Guillemots aren't flashy but they are charming as all
       | heck for patient birdwatchers.
        
       | myshpa wrote:
       | For those who really care about nature and biodiversity, adopting
       | a vegan lifestyle is a clear choice.
       | 
       | > Globally, seabird numbers have fallen by 70% since the 1950s,
       | and in northern Britain most seabird populations have had
       | significant declines in recent years.
       | 
       | > It doesn't look great for any wildlife. Human-made factors are
       | eating into our natural ecology, it's just so sad
       | 
       | https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2216573120
       | 
       | Farmland practices are driving bird population decline across
       | Europe
       | 
       | https://www.iucn.org/content/worrying-declines-worlds-seabir...
       | 
       | The review reveals that seabirds are now more threatened than any
       | other group of birds. Of the 346 seabird species, 97 (28%) are
       | globally threatened, and a further 10% are listed as Near
       | Threatened. Almost half of all seabird species are known or
       | suspected to be experiencing population declines. The albatross
       | family is especially imperiled, with 17 of the 22 species
       | currently threatened with extinction.
       | 
       | At sea, commercial fisheries have depleted fish stocks, an
       | important food source for seabirds, and caused the death of
       | innumerable seabirds through accidental bycatch. On land, the
       | introduction of invasive species has destroyed many breeding
       | colonies.
       | 
       | https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/sep/05/d...
       | 
       | Between 1950 and 2010, globally monitored populations plummeted
       | by 70%. In the UK alone, nesting seabirds have declined by 30%
       | since 2001. Seabirds are now counted as one of the most
       | threatened groups of birds in the world.
       | 
       | Their numbers have been cut down by invasive species,
       | overfishing, entanglements in fishing gear (bycatch), plastic
       | pollution, oil spills and decades of habitat destruction.
       | 
       | https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/seabird-...
       | 
       | Lost at Sea: Why the Birds You Don't See Are Fading Away
       | 
       | The problem was the indiscriminate fishing method known as
       | gillnetting. Hauling a huge net to the surface of the ocean
       | sweeps up not only the target fish but also porpoises, otters,
       | turtles, and diving seabirds. Today at least 400,000 seabirds are
       | killed worldwide every year in gill nets--murres and puffins and
       | diving ducks in northern waters, penguins and diving petrels off
       | the coast of South America. The annual toll on murres alone may
       | equal the 146,000 killed in the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in
       | Alaska.
        
         | jononomo wrote:
         | I don't see the connection between adopting a vegan lifestyle
         | and caring about biodiversity. You yourself point out that
         | farmland practices are driving bird population decline, but
         | vegans eat food that is produced on farms. I follow a carnivore
         | diet because I think it is best for the nature and biodiversity
         | -- I avoid eating plants that have been sprayed with pesticides
         | that kill the bugs that the birds eat.
        
         | readthenotes1 wrote:
         | Avoid windmills too.
        
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       (page generated 2023-09-17 23:00 UTC)