Species Conservation

Species Conservation

Introduction

The red-necked phalarope are small and delicate birds whose habitat is primarily water. They are waders, with an exclusive trait of having lobed toes which enable them to swim against rough tides at sea, unlike other waders. Even though they spend most of their lives in water, the red-necked phalarope can also run about on land. In the U.K., the red-necked phalarope is a rare species and a Red List bird endangering extinction (The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds 2013). The Phalaropus lobatus breeds in North America and Eurasia's Arctic regions. In the case of the red-necked phalarope, traditional avian sex roles do not apply. Female red-necked phalaropes are larger and brighter in terms of colour than males. Females shelter their male mates from other female red-necked phalarope, whereas males perform all child-rearing duties.

Newly born red-necked phalarope feed themselves. They have the ability to fly within 20 days of hatching. As a species, the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds applies to the red-necked phalarope. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species rates the red-necked phalarope on a least-concern to date, with concern history remaining largely unchanged from 2004 - 2009. However, alarm bells have already started ringing in the United Kingdom, where the red-necked phalarope is close to extinction. Numerous conservation methods are being employed across the United Kingdom in order to safeguard the species and its habitat.

Source: www.arkive.org

Discussion

Conservation Efforts

According to a zoologist, Dr. Bunnell, the most endangered species in the United Kingdom is the red-necked phalarope, breeding just 36 pairs in Scotland. In the recent decade, the red-necked phalarope's numbers decreased by a quarter. Bunnell explained that most of the endangerment is caused by a loss of habitat, whereas other factors such as climate and intensive agriculture can corrode species ability to survive. Bunnell recommends that conservation efforts are the only way to reverse decline rates for endangered species in the United Kingdom (The Guardian 2011). With this philosophy in mind, conservation efforts have increased significantly in the United Kingdom in order to preserve the red-necked phalarope species.

The European population of the red-necked phalarope is estimated at 65,536 - 94,301 pairs. Hagemeijer & Blair (1997) suggest that the overall European population of the red-necked phalarope is relatively stable, with a mild decline in Iceland. However, since the fifties, the United Kingdom's red-necked phalarope population is declining steadily. The most apparent loss of well-known breeding ...