1/4 of U.S. Birds at Risk, Study Says

The spectacled eider may have "goggles" around its eyes, but it can't see how dire its situation has become, warns the newly released 2007 WatchList of at-risk U.S. birds.

Lead shot pellets left behind by more than a hundred years of hunting in Alaska are poisoning the Arctic sea ducks, who readily eat the shells to supply digestive grit for their gizzards.

Climate change is another threat, as the warming Arctic is increasing predation from foxes, minks, and other animals and changing the availability of a preferred winter food: clams.

And proposed oil development is another serious and significant threat, according to the report authors.