Global Warming, 1; Birds, 0

According to National Audubon, pollution, habitat destruction and now global warming are hitting birds hard. They have published a list of the top 10 endangered, the 10 Under 10,000,

A Few Under Pressure

• Piping Plover.  An endearing shorebird, with an estimated 8,000 individuals remaining in the wild. The majority of Piping Plovers winter in the Bahamas, a fact that scientists did not discover until 2011.
• Black Oystercatcher. This showy all-black Pacific shorebird has a bright red bill and red eyes, making them easy to spot. Population estimates hover around 8,900.  
• Kirtland’s Warbler. An adult Kirtland’s Warbler weighs less than half an ounce. Numbers fell as low as 200 birds in the late 1980s, but conservation efforts have helped the little songbird rebound to a still-precarious 2,800.  
• Gunnison Sage-Grouse. A dark and turkey-like grouse. Like the Greater Sage Grouse, males engage in memorably comedic courtship displays. Habitat loss has driven these birds to 2,000 to 5,000 individuals in Western Colorado.  
• Whooping Crane. America’s tallest bird. Fewer than 500 of these magnificent birds survive in the wild. Hunting drove the Whooping Cranes to the brink – in 1941 only 15 birds remained. 

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