Not so common anymore

Common birds in Europe are less so now than 40 years ago. A study published in the European journal "Ecology Letters" reported what is termed an "alarming" decrease in the populations of 140 European bird species that have been recognized as common. The species include birds that are common even here: House Sparrows and European Starlings. The decrease has been pegged at 420 million birds, down to 1.6 billion from 2 billion in the early '80s. The study covered 25 European countries. Ninety percent of the decline is attributed to 36 species. Included are rhe two mentioned above, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Skylark, and Willow Warbler. The cause is given as environmental degradation caused by humans. What and who else? Some species less common, like Marsh Harrier and White Stork, strangely were found to be increasing.