2020 in birding and ornithology

Years in birding and ornithology:	2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Centuries:	20th century · 21st century · 22nd century
Decades:	1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s 2040s 2050s
Years:	2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

See also 2019 in birding and ornithology, main events of 2020 and 2021 in birding and ornithology

The year 2020 in birding and ornithology.

Worldwide

New species

See also Bird species new to science described in the 2020s

Taxonomic developments

Ornithologists

Deaths

World listings

Africa

Guinea-Bissau

• Up to 1250 vultures were found dead by poisoning in Guinea-Bissau, with many beheaded, suggesting the body parts were harvested for ritual or medicinal purposes. Among the species killed were the critically endangered hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus).[1]

Asia

India

• The critically endangered great Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) has been added to Appendix 1 of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. The formerly widespread and abundant bird has disappeared from 90% of its former range and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change plans to declare all great Indian bustard habitats, conservation reserves and to bury power lines underground in those areas.[2]

Myanmar

• The government quadrupled the Gulf of Mottama Ramsar site to 161,030 ha. The gulf has one of the largest congregations of shorebirds in Southeast Asia with over 90,000 overwintering, and surveys by BANCA (BirdLife in Myanmar) found the gulf to be the single most important site for the critically endangered, spoon-billed sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea).[3]

Europe

Britain

• Natural England granted licences to three falconers, to take up to six peregrine falcons from the nests of wild birds for falconry. Conditions include, nests must have at least three chicks and only the smallest chick can be removed. Chicks cannot be removed from upland areas where persecution of birds of prey is still a risk. Scottish Natural Heritage turned down a similar application.[4]

Rare birds

• In June and July, a bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) was seen in the West Midlands and Peak District . Thought to be a juvenile from a reintroduction project in the Alps it has also been recorded from the Netherlands, Belgium, northern France and Alderney. It is only the second British record.[5][6]

Other events

• The 2020 Birdfair at Rutland Water was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]

North America

• Black Birders Week (31 May to 5 June) was a series of online events to increase the visibility of Black birders and Black nature enthusiasts in response to the Central Park birdwatching incident.[8]

Oceania

Australia

• 2019–20 Australian bushfire season
  • It is estimated that at least 3 billion terrestrial vertebrates were killed or displaced by the fires including 180 million birds.[9]

References

1. Lewis, Kihumba (April–June 2020). "Dying in Droves". BirdLife Magazine. pp. 30–1.
2. "Great Indian Bustard gets new level of protection". BirdLife International. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
3. Yong, Ding Li (April–June 2020). "Crossing The Gulf". BirdLife Magazine. pp. 54–5.CS1 maint: date format (link)
4. Fair, James (June 2020). "Falconers to be allowed to take wild peregrine chicks from nests". BBC Wildlife. p. 26.
5. Burrell, Lucy. "Rarity finders: Bearded Vulture in the West Midlands". BirdGuides. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
6. Pittam, David. "Bearded vulture spotted in the Peak District". BBC News. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
7. "Birdfair 2020 is cancelled". Birdguides. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
8. "Coming to your screens May 31st - June 5th #BlackBirdersWeek organised by #BlackAFinSTEM". Twitter. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
9. "Nearly 3 billion animals killed or displaced by Australia fires". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2020-08-03.