Situated at the confluence of Africa, Asia, and Europe, the Mediterranean Basin is a biologically bountiful region, eco-rich and overflowing with diverse habitats, wildlife, and species. Unfortunately, not all of the species are thriving. Many of the migrant bird families who occupy this busy aviary thoroughfare find themselves threatened. Here are just five endangered birds that can be found in the Mediterranean…for now.
1. Algerian Nuthatch
The Algerian Nuthatch, newly discovered in 1975, has a population that may only be in the hundreds as fire, military activity and deforestation has destroyed their habitat. A small and short-tailed member of the nuthatch family, the Algerian Nuthatch is the only bird endemic to Algeria and is dependent upon available mountain woodland to survive.
2. White-Headed Duck
The omnivorous White-headed Duck, a stiff tailed, grey and reddish-brown diving duck with a distinctive blue bill. Due to genetic swapping with the non-native Ruddy Duck of North America, the population of these endangered birds has dropped to between 8,000 and 13,000 individuals and is thus legally protected in many Mediterranean countries.
3. Balearic Shearwater
The gregarious Balearic Shearwater is one of just three species of Critically Endangered birds in the Mediterranean. Due to predatory rats and cats as well as man-made threats from fishing boats and vacation resort development, the Shearwater — whose artful, silent and smooth flight is a graceful sight to behold — may be down to a mere 3,000 breeding pairs per the most recent estimates.
4. Slender-Billed Curlew
Another of the critically endangered birds, the Slender-billed Curlew is a migratory wader and is one of the smaller members of the curlew family. It’s a species of which mere sightings have become increasingly rare due to habitat loss and hunting, and it’s possible that there are now fewer than 50 adults individuals remaining.
5. Northern Bald Ibis
The black, bare-headed Northern Bald Ibis is the last of the Critically Endangered, with 95 percent of its wild individuals confined to a small Moroccan subpopulation and a total number in the 500 range. The large, non-wading variant of the ibis family is easily distinguishable by its lengthy, downward-curved bill and red face. Once widespread, attempts to stabilize the rapidly dwindling species have met with mixed results.
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Featured Image from Stanislav Ferrao/Unsplash
