Latest update modified the conservation status of 12 Indian bird species, downlisting eight species, signaling positive trends in their conservation while uplisting four species. 

• Four species that have been uplisted include:
  • Indian Courser, Indian Roller and Rufous-tailed Lark uplisted to Near Threatened;
  • Long-billed Grasshopper-warbler uplisted to Endangered. 
• All these four species depend upon open natural ecosystems, which include habitats like grasslands, semi-arid landscapes, desert, croplands, hilly scrublands, and fallow lands. 
  • Threats to these ecosystems: Expansion of power infrastructure, intensification of agriculture, introduction of invasive species, and conversion of grasslands into woodlands through afforestation.

Update to IUCN Red List

• More than half of bird species globally are in decline primarily due to habitat loss and degradation, driven by agricultural expansion and intensification and logging. 
  • Birds play vital roles in ecosystems and for people, serving as pollinators, seed dispersers, pest controllers, scavengers and ecosystem engineers.
• Three species of Arctic seal have moved closer to extinction with primary threat being sea ice loss driven by global warming. 
  • Seals, a keystone species, play a central role in food web, consuming fish and invertebrates and recycling nutrients. 
• Green Sea Turtle, a keystone species, has improved in status from Endangered to Least Concern, due to sustained conservation efforts.