Conservation status of tropical raptors

Seventy-six percent (222) of the world's 292 species of diurnal raptors are found mainly or completely in the tropics. Forty-six percent of all tropical raptors are threatened by habitat loss, 11% by environmental contaminants, and 19% by direct persecution. Seventeen percent are threatened by two of these factors, 2% by all three factors. Regionally 42% of all Neotropical, 60% of all Afrotropical, 60% of all Indomalayan, and 77% of all Australotropical raptors are threatened by one of more of these factors. IUCN classifies 27% of all tropical raptors (59 species) as Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered. Similar statistics are 23% (17 of 73 species), 14% (11 of 80 species), 33% (21 of 63), and 34% (12 of 35), for the Neotropical, Afrotropical, Indomalayan, and Australotropical regions, respectively. Thirty percent of all tropical raptors are endemics. Fifty-seven percent of all tropical raptors are complete, partial, or irruptive migrants. The degree of endemism and migration behavior varies among the four regions. Although some of the regional differences in conservation status reflect regional differences in knowledge, many appear to reflect ecological differences among the four regions.