Bird populations have long been considered to provide a good indication of the broad state of wildlife. This is because they occupy a wide range of habitats and respond to environmental pressures that also operate on other groups of wildlife. Birds also have huge cultural importance and are highly valued as a part of the natural environment by the general public. However, they are declining at a rapid rate, in fact, one in eight of all birds are now globally threatened. 52% of our global raptor species are now in decline, and 50% of all falcon species are declining at an alarming rate.
The global loss of raptors is worrying. They are charismatic species and often carry a flagship role in the habitats they inhabit. Reducing the abundance of raptors could cause a cascade effect through the ecosystem, changing the numbers and behaviours of their prey. In fact, this is something we can even see here in Ireland, without a high abundance of avian predators, we have a huge influx of jackdaws, crows and magpies which predate on passerine species nests and eggs.
According to Red List assessments, the biggest threats to raptors are habitat destruction, persecution, unintentional poisoning, electrocution and climate change. They are difficult to monitor because they occur at low population densities and are difficult to detect. To conserve raptors we need to gather information on their distribution and ecological requirements to increase conservation action.