Birds: More than a quarter under threat and placed on "red list"

More than a quarter of birds are under threat of extinction in the UK, a new report has shown.

Seventy of the UK's 245 species have been added to a red list by conservationists.

Favourite UK birds such as the swift, greenfinch and house martin have all been added to the list.

Experts say that human-made climate change, disease and illegal hunting has drastically lowered the population of many of these species.

There are 245 different bird species in the UK for the report, called the Birds of Conservation Concern 5.

Each species is added to a list - red, amber and green - depending on different factors including population levels, number of breeding birds and global threats.

Birds on the red list are at the highest risk, while birds on the green list are at the least risk.

Amber indicates there are risks to the population, but these risks are not as urgent as those on the red list.

Birds on the red list include the cuckoo, puffin, skylark and nightingale.

Assessments about which birds belong to which list are made by experts from the British Trust for Ornithology, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and various other wildlife trusts.

Unfortunately, their research has shown that the population of birds in the UK are in decline in general.

There are lots of different reasons for why these birds are under threat.

Disease has broken out in the greenfinch population which was thought to have been caused by contaminated water and food.

Bird numbers have fallen by 62% since 1993 - which means they have been moved from the green list to the red list.

Climate change has also had a part to play in the decline.

Conservationists have encouraged people to keep bird feeders and bird baths clean to reduce the risk of disease.

Habitat loss, limited food supplies and global warming are thought to have led to the disappearance of birds that migrate to the UK from Africa.

This includes species like the swift, nightingale and cuckoo.

Becky Speight, chief executive of the RSPB, says that there is urgent work to be done.

"We are seeing once common species such as swift and greenfinch now becoming rare," she said.

"We often know what action we need to take to change the situation, but we need to do much more, rapidly and at scale."

But it's not all bad news!

The white-tailed eagle has had a successful reintroduction to the UK!

It was hunted into extinction in the UK over 200 years ago.

Thanks to the work of conservationists, its population growing across north-west Scotland.