Hunting birds for food, but not sport, associated with poorer conservation status

Abstract

Human uses of birds may contribute to extinction risk, but it remains unclear whether different uses have variable impacts on bird conservation status. We analysed use and trade data from 3523 bird species accounts in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List to compare the impacts of use for food (hunted primarily for human consumption) and sport (hunted primarily for recreation) on bird conservation status. We found that species hunted for food were more likely to be listed as threatened and have declining populations compared with those not hunted for food. Sport-hunted species were not more likely to have declining populations compared with non-sport-hunted species, and there were no differences in threatened status. Species experiencing habitat loss and those with smaller geographic ranges had poorer conservation status, whereas body mass and diet had inconsistent effects. These results emphasize the negative effects of hunting for food on bird species and reiterate the need for effective management to mitigate these impacts.