Hundreds of species of birds have become extinct due to humans. A study has said that more than 1400 species of birds have become extinct due to human activities.
Research by the UK's Center for Ecology and Hydrology has shown that over time, human arrivals in areas such as Hawaii, Tonga, and the Azores have had far-reaching effects, including deforestation and overhunting, resulting in several unknown bird species becoming extinct.
According to a new estimate by scientists, one out of nine species of birds has become extinct. The rate reported by the researchers is double the current estimate.
The scientists also said that the study revealed that the largest vertebrate extinction in history was caused by humans.
Bird extinctions have been recorded since the 16th century, but for species that went extinct before then, scientists rely on fossils.
Experts say these records are too limited because the birds' lightweight bones disintegrate over time, obscuring the true scale of global extinctions.
Researchers now believe that 1,430 bird species (about 12 percent) have gone extinct since the end of the Pleistocene, 130,000 years ago, until the end of modern human history.
Researchers believe that the extinction of a large number of these species is directly or indirectly related to human activity.
According to the study's lead author, Dr. Rob Cook, the research suggests that humans have affected bird species more than previously thought.