According to new research from the University of East Anglia, migratory birds are declining because of the way humans have changed the landscape over the last 50 years.
A study published in Global Ecology and Biogeography shows that population declines have been greatest among species that migrate to areas with more human infrastructure.
Climate change and habitat degradation are some of the causes of long-term decline.
The research team hopes to inform how best to target the effort.
It's not clear why migratory birds are in greater decline than non- migratory birds.
We wanted to find out where the most exposed migratory species are.
Climate change, conversion of land from natural habitat to human land use, and infrastructure associated with bird collision are some of the human-caused threats to migratory birds.
The team was able to map each of the threats using satellite imagery. The map of hunting pressure was the first of its kind.
The Turtle Dove and the Common Cuckoo are two rapidly declining bird species that were studied.
The team calculated threats based on factors such as habitat loss and climate change.
The relationship between threat scores and bird population trends was explored.
There are declining numbers of over 100 Afro-Eurasian migratory birds due to human modification of the landscape.
Modification of the landscape means anything that isn't naturally there.
One of the biggest impacts is caused by things like flying into a wind turbine or being hit by a vehicle. Population decreases in breeding birds are a result of exposure to these direct mortality threats.
"We need to understand where declining species are being most impacted by humans across their seasonal migrations," said Dr. Aldina Franco from UEA's School of Environmental Sciences. Identifying where birds are most exposed to threats could help us.
More information: Spatially explicit risk mapping reveals direct anthropogenic impacts on migratory birds', Global Ecology and Biogeography (2022). Journal information: Global Ecology and Biogeography
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