Madagascar wetland bird Alaotra Grebe is now extinct
May 27th, 2010 - 9:09 pm ICT by Aishwarya Bhatt
Madagascar, May 27 (THAINDIAN NEWS) The Alaotra Grebe, a wetland bird has now been declared extinct. The bird lived in Madagascar, and it was a unique native to the island.
The bird’s extinction has been blamed on the carnivorous fish in the bird’s habitat. The fishes were introduced in the lakes, where the wetland birds lived. Environmentalists also say the extinction was contributed to by fisherman’s fishnets that sometimes accidentally caught the birds. Environmentalists say the bird’s extinction shows how human activities can have unforeseen circumstances on the environment.
A similar fate is befalling another wetland bird species. The bird Zapata Rail has been listed as endangered, because of similar threats from the environment. The threat of extinction comes from the catfish in the lake.
Environmentalists say wetlands are very fragile habitats and can be easily disturbed by pollution and change in food chain. Wetland birds are all dropping in numbers all over the world. Environmentalists warn that the decline is happening very fast and species like Great Knot and the Far Eastern Curlew are rapidly becoming extinct. “Wetlands are fragile environments, easily disturbed or polluted, but essential not only for birds and other biodiversity but also for millions of people around the world as a source of water and food,” according to Stuart Butchart, who is the BirdLife’s Global Research and Indicators Coordinator.
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Tags: biodiversity, bird species, birdlife, butchart, carnivorous fish, curlew, environmentalists, extinction, fishes, fishnets, food chain, fragile environments, fragile habitats, global research, grebe, source of water, unforeseen circumstances, wetland bird, wetland birds, wetlands