A total of 134 species of birds have wiped out worldwide between 1701 and 2000, the UK-based conservation group BirdLife International said on Monday.
Twenty-seven species were driven to extinction in the 18th century, 51 in the 19th century and 56 in the 20th century; the group said in a report, adding that it is highly possible three species have already been lost this century.
Currently, 1,226 species or 12.4 per cent of the total including species native to Japan such as Blakiston’s fish owl and the Amami woodcock face extinction, it said.
Three human factors — agriculture, logging and human-induced invasive species — are the most threat facing bird species, respectively affecting 1,065, 668 and 625 species, the report said.
These stresses are threatening many of the familiar bird species in parts of the world such as the little tern in Japan, the cuckoo and eastern turtle dove in Europe and the vulture in India, while water birds such as the red knot are showing widespread declines particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, it said.
The report also highlights that a disproportionately high number of threatened birds live on islands, particularly oceanic islands far from land, because these species are often susceptible to the impact of introduced predators due to isolation for thousands of years.
The four extinct species in Japan including the Bonin grosbeak and Ryukyu wood pigeon lived on the Ogasawara Islands and the Nansei Islands, it said.
Over the past 20 years, 225 bird species have been moved to a higher category of threat because of genuine changes in status whereas just 32 species have been moved down to a lower danger category.