ABSTRACT
Birds are warm-blooded vertebrates that have developed hollow bones, wings and feathers that enable most, but not all, to fly. Some birds are generalists, eating a variety of seeds, nectar, fruit, invertebrates or other animals. Climate change worldwide affects the fragile balance between birds and their food supply. Plants are flowering earlier in the spring, and changes to vegetation are altering the abundance of insects, worms and other creatures. Habitat protection plays a critical role in the conservation of birds of prey. Control of poaching is important too. In many countries it is illegal to hunt birds of prey, steal their eggs or disturb their nests. Captive breeding and rehabilitation centers for injured birds can significantly help species at risk of extinction. Seabirds usually nest in huge colonies, sometimes of over a million birds, on islands or cliffs where they are reasonably safe from native predatory mammals although not always from introduced species.
