Many of Washington state's most common birds at risk | Seattle Times

Many of state's most common birds at risk

By Ian Ith
Seattle Times staff reporter


PAINTING BY JOHN JAMES AUDUBON
Red knot

It's long been known that the spotted owl, the marbled murrelet and the snowy plover could become the next dodos.

But even birds as taken for granted as the friendly rufous hummingbird, that tiny, orange backyard visitor, and the yellow warbler, the enemy of garden pests across the state, are vulnerable to rapid decline because of urban sprawl and other human destruction of habitat.

At least, that's the conclusion of a new report to be released today by the Audubon Society of Washington, which says nearly one-third of all bird species common to the state are at risk of sliding toward extinction.

More at the Seattle Times