From three species of Arctic seals to more than half of all birds globally, several animals have slipped closer to extinction, according to the latest update of the IUCN Red List. However, 20 species have seen a positive change in their status: they’ve moved farther away from the threat of extinction, thanks to effective conservation measures or reduced threats. The 20 downlisted species include 12 birds: the Rodrigues warbler (Acrocephalus rodericanus), Rodrigues fody (Foudia flavicans), olive-sided flycatcher (Contopus cooperi), rustic bunting (Emberiza rustica), Lidth’s jay (Garrulus lidthi), Guadalupe junco (Junco insularis), Okinawa robin (Larvivora namiyei), Alexandrine parakeet (Palaeornis eupatria), black-faced spoonbill (Platalea minor), blue-winged macaw (Primolius maracana), Amami woodcock (Scolopax mira) and redwing (Turdus iliacus). The Rodrigues warbler and fody, for example, are the last two remaining endemic bird species left on Rodrigues, a volcanic island that’s part of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. The island was once home to 12 endemic birds found nowhere else on Earth. Most of those birds have since gone extinct, and both the Rodrigues warbler and fody were headed the same way. In 1968, scientists estimated just five to six pairs of fodies remained, and only eight to nine pairs of warblers in 1979, according to BirdLife International. Conservation efforts by BirdLife’s local partner, the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF), helped restore the birds’ native forest habitat on the island. There are now roughly 20,000 Rodrigues fodies and around 25,000 warblers on the island. Both species are listed as least concern in the latest IUCN…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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