Britain's plummeting puffins put on to danger list
PUFFINS are now rare in Britain for the first time ever, new research has revealed.
Puffins have never been rare in Britain before
So too are shags, nightingales and the country’s biggest wader, the curlew, which have all been added to the official red list of endangered species.
It means more than one in four of the UK’s 244 bird species is now so rare that they have become a cause of concern, said the RSPB.
244 bird species are now on the list
The number of birds on the red list is now 67 – up 15 since the last list was produced in 2009.
This update highlights the continued erosion of the UK’s wildlife
It includes some of the best-known birds in and around Britain such as the cuckoo and the starling.
Director of conservation at the RSPB Martin Harper said: “This update highlights the continued erosion of the UK’s wildlife.
“It is sobering that muchloved species such as curlew, puffin and nightingale are now of highest conservation concern in the UK.”
Even Britain's iconic starlings are at risk