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What is the State Bird of Hawaii?

10,000 Birds

In addition to historic habitat loss and hunting, Nenes face introduced predators such as mongoose and feral cats. Despite their population increases, Nenes will probably need human help to survive far into the future, and they remain the world’s rarest goose.

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Feral Cats Are An Invasive Species in North America (and elsewhere)

10,000 Birds

In some regions of the world, the carnivore landscape is taken up by many different cats at the middle and larger range, and by things like civets and mongoose at the smaller end. It isn’t like not killing the cat is in any way humane, considering the number of animals it will kill over time. They are invasive species.

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Filling the Gap Left By DeBooy’s Rail

10,000 Birds

It is now believed to have been a fairly common resident of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands until the arrival of the first humans when it went the way of most flightless easy to catch island birds immediately after the arrival of man. Guam Rail Gallirallus owstoni.

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Birding Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Cape Town

10,000 Birds

As a bonus, they are often heavily visited and as a consequence the birds found in them are used to large numbers of people having picnics, regarding begonias, dating, courting, playing Frisbee, and are therefore untroubled by humans regarding them carefully. I have seen unconcerned Cape Grey Mongoose and Four-striped Mice though.

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African Penguins in Peril

10,000 Birds

Today, there are more than 3,000 birds at this accessible colony and they are protected by fences and stiff fines for human disturbance. On the mainland they face predation from domestic cats, dogs, genets, mongoose and Cape Gulls which steal their chicks and eggs. Part of the 3,000 strong penguin colony at Boulders Beach, Cape Town.

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Come@Me: Don’t Mourn for Extinct Birds

10,000 Birds

The causes were the usual reasons for island extinction—deforestation by both humans and invasive plants that crowded out native plants, hunting, and invasive rats, mongoose, monkeys, and, of course, feral cats. Is it any wonder that Pink Pigeons were on the brink of extinction when humans intervened? I know, that’s harsh.

Mauritius 101
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Searching for vultures in India

10,000 Birds

Of the estimated 500 million cattle in India, only 4% were destined for consumption by humans as meat. Oddly, I saw no rats, only a mongoose or two and a few stray dogs. “Cows are considered sacred by majority of Hindus so cow meat is generally not consumed. This results in the cow’s corpse being left to be fed on by vultures.

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