Extinction : The Fact on BBC Earth

 Day be day my habbit of watching wild animal and biodiversity increased , and i spent my every free time with this kind specific channels , which are only focused to provide details about this beautiful creatures. 

Channels like bbc earth, national geographic, wild and discovery entertain you in new way where you are getting knowledge for your every second. So no doubt this is good way to utilize your time in productive way.

Because mom says me that, ” knowledge never wasted, and every single knowledgeable thing become useful at some stage of your life”. And i personally believe it  .

Yesterday i have watched a series on “BBC Earth” that is focused on extinction of animal and biodiversity, and it really changed my opinion perspective towards life and specially towards human beings. 

Extinction: The Facts is a 2020 documentary film by the natural historian David Attenborough which aired on the BBC. It depicts the continuing sixth mass extinction, caused by humans, and the consequences of biodiversity loss and climate change.

facts we learned by watching Extinction: The Facts, presented by Sir David Attenborough

I never seen this person earlier , but i personally become fan of him, or i would like to mention here there i definitely want to join there team, team which specifically focused that how we can make this earth safer and better place for each and everyone. Not only for future human generation but for our wild life too. 

This weekend  show become my favorite and i want everyone to pay attention  on this must and priority show , with what has been heralded as a landmark . Extinction: The Facts presented by Sir David Attenborough, did not mince its words, offering a very real, often terrifying look at the state of our planet today.

As its name suggests, the hour-long film addressed the questions of why one million out of the eight million species on earth are now threatened with extinction (spoiler: it’s because of the actions of one species – humans); and what that means for the planet today and in the future.

Having watched the program , I encourage you to do the same . No doubt the film will eventually be available overseas, although I have not been able to confirm that as yet. So in the meantime, if you’d like to get the low-down on what has been called a ‘surprisingly radical‘ documentary, or if you just like spoilers, we’ve curated some of the most eye-opening facts and quotes from the program right here.

And if the realities of the damage already done to the biodiversity of the planet makes you want to take action, we’ve included some suggestions on the simple steps we can all take to help protect the planet and the species on it, at the end of the article.

1. This is not a future crisis. It’s happening now.

Species of plants and animals are already going extinct, because of what humans are doing to the planet. Since 1500, 570 plant species and 700 animal species have gone extinct. Now, one million species out of eight million species on earth are threatened with extinction. The biggest issue is the rate of extinction. While the disappearance of species from Earth is ongoing and rates of extinction have varied over time; historically, extinction has happened over millions of years, but now, it’s happening over tens of years. In fact, it’s happening 100x faster than the natural evolutionary rate, and it’s accelerating.

2. Extinction is happening everywhere. And to everything. And it has a huge ripple effect.

From the Amazon, to Africa, to the Arctic, we are losing species of insects, mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and more. And the consequences of these losses has a massive ripple effect. When you look at biodiversity, ecosystems, food chains – everything is interconnected. When you remove or damage one part of that well-oiled machine, the rest of it malfunctions. When it comes to the biodiversity machine, all parts, from the tiniest ant, to the tallest tree, to the largest whale, to the tallest branch, they are all necessary for it – and the planet, and us humans – to survive.

For example, at least 10% of insect species are at risk of extinction. The ripple effect from that loss will impact on the food chain for hundreds of thousands of other species that rely on insects to survive, as well as the loss of pollinators to ensure crops can grow. A 10% loss of insect species will effect three quarters of the world’s food crops.

Under the ground, 30% of lands globally have been degraded, which means a loss of diversity in the soil – the consequences of while could be catastrophic, as it means food production is already being impacted.

25% of our plant species are at risk of extinction. That impacts the air we breathe. the level of co2 in the air, how clean our water is. Trees are vital to intercept rainfall and hold the ground together with their roots. Where we lose trees, we gain landslides.

3. There are eight million species on planet earth, but only one species is responsible for the extinction of others: humans.

There are many ways we humans royally mess up our own home:

• Poaching. Any animal, it seems, can be bought for the right price. From rhinos, to pangolins, they are purchased as status symbols or for fantasy medical purposes.
• Over-fishing. At any one time, 100,000 trawlers are operating in our seas. The seas have been decimated of fish. Losing the smaller species of fish, like cod, has a ripple effect to the larger fish and sea animals that prey on them and depend on them for survival.
• Consumerism. Although population growth does have some impact on biodiversity, it is the demand for consumption that has a greater effect on the planet. The world’s developing countries have a higher population growth; but it is the developed countries, which have a lower population growth, but a higher demand for consumption, that are putting a strain on nature’s resources. Many of the products we use are produced in an unsustainable way and in places that don’t have the same environmental laws and regulations that a country such as the UK has.
• Climate Change.  This will be the biggest threat faced by species. The Paris Agreement states that all governments should try and limit climate change to no more than 2’C. All calculations show we’re on track for a 3-4 degree rise in temperatures. Increasing temperatures force some species to move to cooler locations. Eventually, they run out of places to go.
• Destruction of habitats. 90% of the wetlands around the world have already been lost. 75% of land that is not covered by ice has already been converted. Mostly to feed one species – humans, and often humans from the other side of the world to where the clearance has happened. We are unwittingly supermarket-shopping our way into disaster, with cheap food and access year-round to a variety of food (rather than seasonal, locally grown produce). Research shows the main drivers of biodiversity loss are soy (the majority of which goes into animal feed, particularly chicken feed), cocoa, coffee, palm oil and beef. Livestock accounts for 60% of the total mammals on earth, humans 36% and wild animals just 4%.
• Humans are behind every single pandemic, so stop blaming the bats. It is human impact on the environment that drives emerging diseases. Not just wildlife trade and animal markets – which are an ideal environment for viruses to spread, due to the density of highly-stressed animals in proximity to people (when stressed, animals shed viruses at a higher rate); but also because of our daily intrusion into wildlife habitat. Forests have thousands of viruses that we haven’t come into contact with yet. Deforestation and construction that encroaches into those forests exposes humans to those viruses. And before you know it, we’re in another pandemic. In fact, according to the documentary, it is estimated that there will be five new emerging diseases affecting people every year.

Ok, I’m angry, sad, terrified and feeling helpless. Is there anything I/we can do to help save the planet and prevent species extinction?

Extinction: The Facts gives examples of where change has happened in the past, with positive outcomes: like the replacement of CFCs in aerosols and refrigerators, with an alternative that didn’t create a hole in the ozone layer in 1996; or how governments in three East African countries collaborated with conservation organizations and local communities to save the mountain gorilla, which only a few decades ago was on the brink of extinction.

The documentary identified a number of changes that need to be made, and we have added to those the actions individuals can take towards each one below.

1. Reset the way we run our economies. We’re coming out of a global pandemic and into a global recession. But research has shown that investment in projects that are good for the environment, can also provide a strong way out of the depression with quick, labor-intensive actions that have powerful and positive economic outcomes.

Sky-dance of Starling Bird

 MURMURATION

Starling flocks can number thousands, and their sky-dances are mesmerizing to watch. These are called murmurations. Looking almost like a swarm of locusts, they change directions as a unit, with no pattern or thought, just instinctively ebbing and flowing in the sky. No one knows for sure why this happens, but this may be to protect them from hawks, merlins and falcons.  At dusk, smaller foraging groups join and roost for the night in this flying sanctuary, leaving no “in” for predators. 

 THE EUROPEAN STARLING

Let’s get to know our little immigrant:

COMMON NAME: European Starling.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Sturnus vulgaris. Sturnus: Starling. Vulgaris: Common. 

ORDER: Passeriformes

FAMILY: Sturnidae

These stout little flyers are the size of blackbirds with short square-shaped tails. In flight their wings look translucent.

In the summer the adults have glossy black feathers with iridescent pinks, greens and reds and little star-shaped dots, essentially looking like a starry night. The dots disappear come winter. 

The female starlings looks less glossy and shiny than the male opposites. To differentiate between the two, look at their bills: it depends on their diet which effects the coloring, but the females have pinker bills while the males have blueish bills. I guess their baby-showers also have pink and blue gifts!

The juveniles look completely different with a gray-brown plumage.

The normal lifespan of a starling is around 15 years. The oldest Starling recorded reached the ripe old age of 22 years and 11 months! That really says something about their survival skills. 

WHAT DO STARLINGS EAT?

Starlings, like blackbirds, have gaping abilities. Gaping is the bird’s ability to open its bill forcibly against some pressure, so it can, for example, push its bill into the base of a grass clump and forcibly open it to reveal the insects that may be hidden inside.

Their diverse diet includes insects, (natural pesticides,) spiders, grains, worms, fruit, and seeds as well as feed livestock feed and garbage.

Starlings are attracted to seed and suet feeders, but they can prevent smaller birds from approaching. 

STARLING LOVE 

Starlings are mainly monogamous, although males have been seen to change mates between broods. 

Mating begins in late February all the way through June. The male digs out a nesting site and places dried leaves, moss or lichen inside and then for the final touch, adds herbs to repel insects!  Smart little thing. He even decorates the nest with flowers to attract the females. (One step short of a candle lit dinner!) Now that’s some fancy nest building!

Once he has built the nest, comes the waiting. 

When the female finally comes along, he flaps and waves his wings, sings a merry tune and flies in and out of the nest with leaves or flowers in his mouth. 

Once pairing has been successful, the two feed and build the nest together. The female actually throws the flowers away, hopefully not hurting the male’s feelings, and adds a few touches of her own – mainly grass, to make the nest as cozy as possible for her upcoming incubators.

Starlings are extremely aggressive, often taking the nests of bluebirds or purple martins. They can choose an abandoned Woodpecker’s nest or even a cavity inside houses or buildings. 

Starlings lays 4 to 5 beautiful pale turquoise eggs which are incubated for about 12 days by both the male and female during the day. At night, the female takes over.

Both male and female take the task of feeding the young’un. After 21-23 days the little ones leave the nest and the parents move on the the next brood! Starlings raise up to 3 broods each season, using the same nest. This explains the huge number of starlings which have flourished since 1890, as well as their long life span. It’s all about flying in flocks

Sounds

Starlings are loud and noisy, especially in groups, but singularly have a beautiful chirp which is a series of rattles and whistles, sometimes mimicking other bird species.