Scientists stunned by decline of birds during epic Southern African roadtrip

A two year project repeating a famous bird survey by driving over 20,000 km in a 4×4 across Botswana has confirmed researchers’ fears: many birds of prey are fast disappearing from one of Africa’s last great wilderness areas. Reported sightings of iconic species of eagle and vulture declined by as much as 80% compared with the previous survey, while some migrant species recorded last time have vanished, according to the study.