WELLINGTON, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Bright, uniquely colored songbirds are at higher risk of extinction and more likely to be traded as pets, according to an international study by New Zealand's Massey University and other research institutes.
Researchers also believe that almost 500 additional bird species, most of them living in the tropics, are at risk of future trade based on their unique and desirable coloration, according to the research published on Friday in the journal of Current Biology.
"Aesthetic value is an important part of how people value nature," said Rebecca Senior of Britain's Durham University, who participated in the research involving Massey University, Durham University, the University of Florida and France's Center for the Synthesis and Analysis of Biodiversity (CESAB).
"However, there is potential for conflict when what motivates some people to protect certain species is the same thing that makes other people want to own them," Senior said.
The study used color data collected by Prof. James Dale at the School of Natural Sciences of Massey University to show that the most colorful birds are both at higher risk of extinction and more likely to be traded as pets.
In a simulated scenario where currently threatened and traded species go extinct, the researchers found that Australia and New Zealand would experience some of the most disproportionate losses of color uniqueness in birds.
In their new study exploring the antagonistic roles of aesthetic value in biodiversity conservation, the analysis showed that the tropics are the epicenter of bird color, with 91 percent and 65 percent of the world's most diverse and uniquely colored assemblages of songbirds, respectively.
Pet trade, which affects 30 percent of all bird species, targets clusters of related and uniquely colored birds. They identified 478 species of birds that may be at risk of future trade based on their appealing colors.
The findings have important implications for bird conservation.
"Understanding what motivates trade is essential to identify at-risk species potentially requiring more proactive protection from trapping," Senior said.
In future studies, researchers hope to disentangle even more factors that play into regional variation in patterns of trade among birds. They'd also like to explore the role of color in the trade of other groups of animals and plants. ■