Birds on the brink of extinction

The black-chinned hummingbirds around my place do not get along well at all. Two of them dart in and out at one another around my sugar-water feeder even though there are plenty of portals so up to four birds could feed peacefully at one time.

Oh no, they prefer to buzz about angrily, reminding me of some human politicians.

These hummers will be departing in a few weeks, migrating south to warmer climates, and I will settle in for a winter without their company.

But at least I have confidence in their eventual return, and such cannot be said for several birds in the world today.

A new assessment of the world’s rarest birds shows several are now extinct and many more are headed that way.

One of the birds on the brink of extinction is the Spix’s macaw, a lovely blue bird that was featured in the movie “Rio” and was once numerous in the forests of Thailand. Like many avian species in that country, this macaw is being done in by deforestation as agriculture and logging destroy trees by the thousands.

Another bird, the helmeted hornbill, is being driven to extinction because of its namesake bill. This appendage includes a big lump of bone-like substance that collectors use to carve various trinkets. Much like elephant ivory, the bird’s casque is coveted and it is killed to harvest the lump.

If you’ve never seen a Spix’s macaw, or a helmeted hornbill, a Pernambuco pygmy-owl, or a cryptic treehunter – well, you better hurry. All are headed for extinction and once they are gone, they are gone forever.