16 KINDS OF WOODLAND BIRDS DECLINING IN JAPANスズメなど里山の鳥が急減

Japan's Environment Ministry says the populations of 16 species of birds have been declining at a sharp pace. It notes that at this rate the species could become endangered. The ministry has been studying ecological changes at about 1,000 locations across Japan since 2003. It has analyzed ecological data collected in woodlands around villages up to March of 2023. It has found that, out of 106 species of birds, the populations of 16 of them have decreased by 3.5 percent or more annually. The rates of decline are similar to those of endangered species that appear on the ministry's Red List. The sparrow population has shrunk by 3.6 percent annually, and the Japanese wagtail population has declined by 8.6 percent. The ministry attributes the shrinking populations to global warming. It notes that the problem has reduced the number of habitats that are suitable for the species.

◆endangered 絶滅の危機にある、絶滅が危惧されている an endangered animal, bird etc is one that may soon no longer exist because there are so few of them 

◆habitat 生息地  生息地 the natural home of a plant or animal