Over the past 25 years, the Norwegian Bird Index shows a steady decline in the numbers of 22 common bird species.
Since 2000, populations of important bird species have declined by 56% across Norway.
What happened?
“It is important to remember that there are significant differences between bird species found in agricultural landscapes,” said the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy. “They have different preferences and lifestyles. It is therefore impossible to explain with a single cause why so many species are declining.”
However, researchers believe there are several major factors that may be contributing to the continued population decline.
One of these is the unification of agricultural landscapes. Birds use a variety of fields, farmlands and pastures as nesting sites, depending on which best suits their needs.
As differences between regions decrease, birds have fewer options for finding food and shelter.
Another issue is the use of pesticides. Chemicals drip from plants to pollinators to birds—a direct clue to why unnatural pest killers are harming ecosystems.
Why is this important?
Birds are at the top of the food chain and are therefore key indicators of changing environmental conditions.
This is especially important for the Norwegian species, as these birds appear to be following the path of their relatives.
“Since 1980, [European bird] The population has decreased by approximately 60%. New data from Norway show that the same negative trend is evident in Norway,” NIBIO said.
As a result, the number of species capable of performing the same ecological function, whether seed dispersal or tamed insect dispersal, has declined.
A study that surveyed 3,696 bird species at 1,281 sites found that bird communities may be less resilient as buffer species disappear.
If there aren’t several species in the habitat filling similar gaps, then the loss of a species is felt more acutely, and hence the concern about population decline.
What are we doing about this?
According to NIBIO, “to slow and ultimately reverse this negative trend, researchers” recommend a number of key changes: protecting nesting spaces to combat habitat loss, managing grasslands and woodlands to maintain biodiversity, and using pest control methods that do not use pesticides.
As more information is released showing how declining bird numbers are having knock-on effects on agricultural development, awareness is growing that changes must be made.
“Unfortunately, this negative trend does not seem to be reversing any time soon,” said NIBIO researcher Christian Pedersen. “That is why measures are urgently needed to help bird populations increase, or at least stabilize.”
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