Category: Language and Literature

Conserving the Red-crowned Cranes

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The Red-crowned Cranes lives in Eastern Asia. They live in colder climates. Their natural habitats are marches. They build their nests in water that is shallow and damp ground. Unfortunately, they are decreasing in population because of human activities. There are only 2,700 Red-crowned Cranes left in the world, estimated by scientist.

The Red-crowned Cranes are endangered because of habitat loss, overexploitation, harassment by humans, fire and poison. The habitat loss of the Red-crowned Cranes are due to the destruction of migration paths, breeding grounds and areas that are cold. Drainage of wetlands are also part of the habitat loss. Another main reason of habitat loss is the development of the humans. Humans are building roads, clearing forest, channelizing rivers and enlarging agriculture. The marshlands are being turned into factories, rice fields and farmlands, causing their habitat to decrease in number. The Red-crowned Cranes are also facing overexploitation. They are being hunted and eaten. Another danger that the Red-crowned Cranes is that humans are harassing them. The Red-crowned Cranes are also being poisoned by the pesticides in grains.

There are many organizations that are conserving the Red-crowned Cranes. For example, the Wild Bird Society of Japan. They do many events that help the Red-crowned Cranes. One example is that they are protecting areas in the Kushiro Shitsugen that are legally not protected. They even set up a Nature Center that gives explanations on Red-crowned Cranes, give nature information, and has photography contests. The photography contests are held because they want other people to know the beauty of Red-crowned Cranes and the conservation acts of the Red-crowned Cranes in Japan.

You can also start help conserving the Red-crowned Cranes by spreading the awareness on Social Media. I wrote 5 Guidelines To Sharing Information On Social Media. If you want to know more about how to help conserve bird species, check out this link: https://share.kas.tw/allche22/2017/06/06/humans-responsible-for-jeopardizing-bird-species/.

Bibliography:
1) (n.d.). Retrieved June 09, 2017, from https://www.zoo.org/page.aspx?pid=1858#.WTZ9KhOGNE5
2) (n.d.). Retrieved May 31, 2017, from https://www.konicaminolta.com/kids/endangered_animals/library/sky/rc-crane.html
3) Red-Crowned Crane. (2013, November 24). Retrieved June 09, 2017, from http://www.ourendangeredworld.com/species/birds-bats/red-crowned-crane/
4) (n.d.). Retrieved June 09, 2017, from https://www.savingcranes.org/species-field-guide/red-crowned-crane/
5) (n.d.). Retrieved June 09, 2017, from http://library.sandiegozoo.org/factsheets/red_crowned_crane/red_crowned_crane.html
6) Wild Bird Society of Japan / Tsurui-Ito Tancho Sanctuary. (n.d.). Retrieved June 09, 2017, from https://www.wbsj.org/en/tsurui/

Humans RESPONSIBLE For Jeopardizing Bird Species

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Written By Olivia and Allison

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has reported that 12% of birds species in the world are endangered. Furthermore, it has also been calculated that 150 birds species are extinct. A wide range of bird species are endangered due to human activities. Both African Penguins and Red-crowned Cranes are being threatened by habitat loss.

The African Penguin is located in Southern Africa. This type of penguin species are located within 24 tropical islands such as the Dyer Island which currently contains the largest colony. It is one of the penguin species that can survive in hot climates, due to their modified wings that enables them to swim efficiently with 12.4 miles per hour and more adaptation features. To avoid the hot sun during daytime, African Penguins cool down in the waters near their shelters and dig out burrows for nesting sites. Their main diet mostly includes pelagic fish such as sardines, horse mackerels, round herrings, anchovies and squid. An adult African Penguin typically eats 14% of their own body weight.

The Red-crowned Cranes are located in Eastern Asia, where there are large wetlands. The migratory population (mainland population) lives in the mainlands of East Asia and in Russia and China. The migratory population also divides to two/three wintertime subpopulations. The resident population is in the Island of Hokkaido, Japan. The natural habitat of the Red-crowned Cranes are marshes. Marshes are a sort of wetland. There are more grass than trees in marshes, unlike swamps, where there are a lot of trees. The Red-crowned Cranes feeds on rodents, fish, amphibians, insects, corn, plants, grass, invertebrates that are aquatic and more.

The African Penguin and Red-crowned Crane’s population are decreasing due to human activities. African penguins are critically endangered because of nature destructions that humans cause. Overfishing and climate change are affecting their prey to relocate to further places, prompting the penguins to swim longer distances in order to hunt for food and feed their families. Many African Penguins die from either starvation or fatigue during the journey. A large amount of fish have also been reduced in the ocean due to industrial fishing. The main human activities that caused Red-crowned Cranes to be endangered are because of the developments of the humans. Examples are roads, the expansion of agriculture, clearing forest and the channelization of rivers. There are marshlands being turned into factories, rice fields or even farmlands. Leaving the Red-crowned Cranes, who lives that area, no home.

The methods we can use to conserve birds species is by spreading the awareness. You can go on your social media accounts and share how a wide range of bird species populations are decreasing. Spreading awareness can let the general public know more this important topic. The Wild Bird Society is an organization that helps the Red-crowned Cranes. An organization called Bird Life, South Africa includes more information about the African Penguins how you can get involved in saving this species.

There are many birds harmed due to human activities. We need to take action to conserve these unique bird species before they become extinct. Birds are very important in our ecosystem because they show indicators of the biological health in our environment. Since we are mostly responsible for endangering birds, we should help to sustain them before it is too late. Every bird matters.

Bibliography:
1) What threatens bird populations? Is it man or environmental changes? Find out here! (2017, January 26). Retrieved June 06, 2017, from http://www.seethewild.org/bird-threats/
2) Marsh. (2012, October 09). Retrieved June 06, 2017, from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/marsh/
3) The 1,300 Bird Species Facing Extinction Signal Threats to Human Health. (2017, May 25). Retrieved June 06, 2017, from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140825-bird-environment-chemical-contaminant-climate-change-science-winged-warning/
4) (n.d.). Retrieved June 06, 2017, from https://www.zoo.org/page.aspx?pid=1858#.WTZ9KhOGNE5
5) Braun. David, Maxwell. (2010, June 2), African Penguin Declared Endangered. Retrieved June 6, 2017 from http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2010/06/02/african_penguin_endangered/