1/4 of U.S. Birds at Risk, Study Says
The Florida scrub jay is one of 217 species that appears on a new WatchList of at-risk birds in the U.S.
The report, written by the National Audubon Society and American Bird Conservancy scientists, blames the expansion of suburbs, exurbs, and agriculture for loss of the birds' habitat.
Only about 10,000 scrub jays—which reside only in Florida, making them prime bird-watching attraction—remain, according to the report.
The groups also blame pollution, invasive species, and climate change for putting many of the species in danger.
"We call this a 'WatchList,' but it is really a call to action, because the alternative is to watch these species slip ever closer to oblivion," Audubon bird conservation director Greg Butcher, a co-author of the report, said in a statement.
