Around the world, 25% of species of plants and animal groups are vulnerable to extinction.
If you’ve ever met a birder or ornithologist, you’ve probably heard of the elusive (and hotly debated) ivory-billed woodpecker.
After years of searching for signs of the “holy grail” of birds, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FSW) declared it officially extinct in September.
The ivory-billed woodpecker is one of 22 species of birds, fish, mussels, and bats (and one species of plant) that were declared extinct in the US in 2021.
The announcement contains the largest group of animals and plants to be moved from the endangered to extinct list under the 1973 Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Since its passing, only 11 species listed in the act have ever been classified as extinct.
This sweeping declaration is a red alert for conservation and biodiversity — but it comes as no surprise.
For years now, we’ve experienced massive losses in biodiversity due to climate change, disease, pollution, invasive species, and loss of habitat as a result of agriculture and industrialization.
A 2019 Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) examined the main causes of biodiversity change and loss.
The report, which UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said put the world “on notice,” found that human activities “threaten more species now than ever before” and that the global rate of species extinction is already “at least tens to hundreds of times higher than it has averaged over the past 10 million years.”
Around the world, an estimated 1 in 4 species of plants and animal groups are vulnerable, which means about 1 million species are facing extinction, some within decades.
The 23 species declared extinct by the FSW this year may also come with little surprise.
Some species have been assumed extinct for decades, with their last sightings dating as far back as 1899.
While the search for some might be over, the fight to preserve their habitats and the habitats of those still endangered should carry on.
“The loss of species, ecosystems, and genetic diversity is already a global and generational threat to human well-being,” said Sir Robert Watson, former chair of the IPBES.
“Protecting the invaluable contributions of nature to people will be the defining challenge of decades to come.
Policies, efforts, and actions — at every level — will only succeed, however, when based on the best knowledge and evidence.”
Here are the 22 animals in the US that were declared extinct in 2021 — and how we should take action now to protect biodiversity.
1. Kaua’i ‘o‘o
The only way to hear the Kaua’i ‘o‘o sing now is through recordings.
The bird, once native to the Hawaiian islands, was last seen in 1987 and listed as endangered by the FWS in 1967.
At least 32 species of birds native to Hawai’i have gone extinct since 1778. Islands are particularly vulnerable to species loss due to their isolation.
The introduction of foreign diseases, rodents such as rats and mongooses, and cats play a large part in the loss of species.
2. Maui ‘ākepa
The Maui ‘ākepa was a Hawaiian honeycreeper whose last confirmed sighting was in 1970.
Over 50 species of honeycreepers used to live in Hawai’i; now there are only 17 species left.
Of the 23 plant and animal species being added to the extinct list this year, 11 are from Pacific islands, Guam and mostly Hawai’i.
3. Kaua’i nukupu’u
The last credible sighting of the Kaua’i nukupu’u was in 1899, and it’s believed to have gone extinct in 1901 due to avian disease and habitat loss.
I am lol qMosquitoes brought on ships were introduced to the Hawaiian islands in the 1800s and spread diseases to birds.
4. Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
Birders and conservationists have debated the presence of the ivory-billed woodpecker, which once roamed the woodlands of the southern US, for decades. The last confirmed sighting was in Louisiana in 1944.
Since then, alleged sightings have been of hot debate among ornithologists and the latest declaration of extinction has its dissenters. It’s safe to say that for some, the hunt is not over.
But for the FWS, the famous and long-sought “Lord God Bird” is gone for good.
5. Little Mariana Fruit Bat
The little Mariana fruit bat was last seen in Guam in 1968 and was declared endangered in 1984.
It’s likely that poaching, habitat loss, and predation by the invasive brown tree snake led to its extinction.
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