They come from the only taxonomic family within the order Podicipediformes, which date back at least 25-35 million years. Of course, as human populations and economies continue to grow in the developing world, aquatic ecosystems such as lakes and rivers will be further degraded. All of the Junín Grebe’s current range falls within a protected area, the Junín National Reserve, but no reserve is an island, and Lake Junín is vulnerable to pollution and human activities throughout its basin. 0 Eventually he pulled the kayak onto a large “island” of matted vegetation and sprinted across 100 yards of cold, knee-high muck to a spot where he could scan the deeper waters. Vermont lists the pied-billed grebe as a species of special concern and Rhode Island considers it to be extirpated (locally extinct). They seem so innocuous, and they’re certainly not coveted as pets, food, or trophies. The Junín Grebe (Podiceps taczanowskii) is one of them, but that’s mainly because it lives at 13,390 feet in the Peruvian Andes. Last summer, when I visited cold, windy Lake Junín, the grebe’s only home, my objective was simply to see the bird. Afflicted with altitude sickness, cold, and tired, I was debating whether I could even get out of the kayak, when I heard Cesar call out, “Si, hay greebees!”— Yes, there are grebes! /��ҠR�qT�}�r��l����5�_\�̂�%�?ߓlf����Ai��$�F��xC��ݸ-Vw���BM�k ����.�J�J�� �D(� �&��Yx{���Hק_�$^3� ��iF��'/�P�t�{ܥT��n�x�f�_�8G� i�gQ 77, No. I slogged my way over to Cesar, frequently pausing to catch my breath, until I reached him and the spotting scope. N����k�h&�����i-�8� vW�1h,�����Z� d�e��Ȋ��Q�| r�9+m�8�ۻho���?,}�;�s�Ԫ.�Gi1�+�ό�E�݇�n�F�:#J�T���z�y�U���[��E�����=V;g��МF�?�����З;�:��}�@FZ�n'O��iRwd�$�c|K�0��z娉�6���X8��a��ki{��c�����7U�lw9w84�Sf�Oy�k�e:b�VC�e��s@2��/�-�Cx@�9v��ӜT�o6��(�⠶ @m.* funded by donors like you. I suspect each of these grebes represents the tip of an endangered-species iceberg, indicative of a much longer list of poorly known fish, aquatic plants, and aquatic invertebrates that also cannot abide the pollution and habitat destruction. Burning and cattle grazing in the marsh also contribute to the loss of nesting habitat. Only discovered in 1974 the Hooded Grebe is found in regions across Argentina and possibly Chile. waterbirds, 30 to 38 cm (12 to 15 in.) In New Hampshire, they are classified as endangered, while in Massachusetts they are threatened. This action plan reviews the threats to grebes throughout the world and their current status and proposes a series of eight priority actions to ensure their survival 117 0 obj <>stream Most of the world’s albatrosses, for example, are now imperiled due to incidental capture by fisheries. Department of the Interior. I had arranged to meet up with Cesar Donato Zevallos Bashualdo, a local conservationist who has spent several years observing Junín Grebes. Yet three species have vanished since the 1970s and five others are acutely endangered, out of a total of 22 species worldwide. �H׀�4!#.t���7xؔW����h���GG��!���M�\�yZ���Թ~�P(�qS~|�m���"(�Q��˶M6���Ft�JwU˦���=��;�J�,W�h��j�ow���w����������P�~ ��_yT ZM��a����F/p�G*�Ҟv�cv�2�z\e�n�8e���XK>����cf��9�O#��D��\�cR����$��|��:�1��u�r�������E8��f9�Ǻ��4�m��� Reports from the late 1930s indicated the grebe was abundant throughout the lake. The world's most endangered grebes. Reports of nesting began to decline throughout New England in the 1850s. Ever optimistic, Cesar insisted we press onward to the deeper portions of the lake where the grebes might be lurking. ���2�,u��~�6@`�2��n+G���v���5�q���]���}� Charles Joslin, from DeGraaf, R., and Rudis, D. New England Wildlife, 1983. When exactly its population started to decline is unknown, but between 1961 and 1979, the number of grebes fell from more than 1,000 birds to only 250 to 300. Notwithstanding my lifelong interest in bird watching, there are very few birds that can take my breath away. Joining the Junín Grebe in the ranks of the acutely endangered are the Hooded Grebe (Podiceps gallardoi), New Zealand Grebe (Poliocephalus rufopectus), Titicaca Grebe (Rollandia microptera), and Madagascar Grebe (T. pelzelnii). For two hours we traveled between islands of bulrushes, scanning the flocks of waterbirds for Junín Grebes, but to no avail. But grebes? The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds, birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation. I suspect each of these grebes represents the tip of an endangered-species iceberg, indicative of a much longer list of poorly known fish, aquatic plants, and … But I found myself pondering a bigger puzzle: Why have a third of the world’s grebe species either disappeared or been driven to the brink of extinction in the last couple decades? The birds are suffering not because of a single, preventable problem, but rather because the land in and around Lake Junín is being used more intensively for mining, agriculture, livestock grazing, and settlement. ���w�iU4O��`j��)��-6s�Y4�������(��S�D�-��#c��k�F�&���C���g�=p���1���@�*�05@�#���=e��hؙ��r~"`a*�Ma4ܟ��؆>��z�|2���ؽb1���� in length, with. The great-crested grebe is a rare endangered species that inhabits Europe, Middle Asia and Southern Siberia. Since c. 1970, two of the 22 recognised species of grebes have gone extinct and two others are in a critical situation. The Grebe species is under threat from loss of habitat and environmental damage. Peering through the scope, I saw two gray-and-white grebes picking something, presumably midges or other insects, off the water. The list is based on scientific assessment of an organism's status by experts. 2012. Federal Register Vol. Yet because the lake is not, in an environmental sense, isolated from surrounding land uses, the Junín Grebe now finds itself nearly extinct. endstream endobj startxref Conservation biologist Michael Soulé once observed that, when it comes to saving endangered species, there are no hopeless cases, only people without hope, and expensive cases. History in Connecticut: The pied-billed grebe was never a common, abundant nester in Connecticut. The Junín Grebe has disappeared from the northern parts of the lake and, according to a spokesperson for BirdLife Peru, is now “probably the most threatened bird in our country,” which is saying a lot for a country with more than 1,800 species of birds. Parrots are heavily trapped for the pet trade in both the New and Old World, and they are also victims of habitat destruction. It is not one of the world’s most colorful birds, but it is one of the rarest. Moreover, the mining industry appears to be an important part of the regional economy (although that does not necessarily mean the particular mines polluting Lake Junín are important). The Grebe species is under threat from loss of habitat and environmental damage. State Status: Endangered. There were some 350-400 birds left in the South Island and it was classified as rare and threatened. Run-off from nearby mining operations has contaminated the lake, killing off the small fish that are the grebes’ preferred prey. Pied-billed Grebe. For the most part, I agree with him, but that doesn’t make me optimistic about the future for the Junín Grebe. %%EOF Since it’s discovery, the population has dropped by as much as 95% in some areas and there are thought to be between 800 and 1,000 individuals left – but the population trend now is stable due to a… A pair of endangered Southern crested grebes are nesting in the middle of Queenstown, at the Lake Wakatipu waterfront. endstream endobj 67 0 obj <>>>/Filter/Standard/Length 128/O(�&��ws#ͥ�����TA���VEp`\r~�X�6)/P -1340/R 4/StmF/StdCF/StrF/StdCF/U(H�/��wh��G_�� )/V 4>> endobj 68 0 obj <>/Metadata 9 0 R/Pages 64 0 R/StructTreeRoot 19 0 R/Type/Catalog>> endobj 69 0 obj <>/MediaBox[0 0 612 792]/Parent 64 0 R/Resources<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageC]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 70 0 obj <>stream Climbing into a kayak, we set out in search of the birds, with Cesar standing at the bow like a Venetian gondolier, using a long pole to push us through the shallows. Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife. (Watching the grebes seemed to do wonders for my altitude sickness, and I now recommend watching rare birds as a supplement to the standard medications for this illness.). Endangered (Grebes) is a free standing work of Tasmanian water birds. Madagascar’s Alaotra Grebe (Tachybaptus rufolavatus) disappeared in the early 1980s, succumbing to gillnets, predation by introduced fish, soil erosion from nearby deforested hillsides, conversion of marshes to rice farms, and hybridization with Little Grebes (T. ruficollis). CԒ0�5��YT��G�?%M�Z�M�(�)6���Tg��. But in the long run, continued degradation can’t be good for the cities, towns, and villages that depend on these same lakes and rivers for clean drinking water, food, recreation, and other ecosystem benefits.
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