| | Words in the News |
INTRO | | Six pairs of Chinese crested terns have been seen rearing chicks on a tiny islet which is visited by fisherman hunting for eggs. It had been thought that this bird was extinct. BBC Science reporter Toby Murcott reported. |
IN FULL | |  | Listen to the report in full |
 |  | 27th July 2000
Seabirds: back from the edge of extinction |
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NEWS 1 | | | Listen to the first part of the report |
| | | The last confirmed sighting of the Chinese crested tern was in 1937 - but after more than sixty years classified as extinct the species has returned from the dead. The birds were spotted by a tourist, who sent photographs to the Wild Bird Federation, Taiwan, part of the global Birdlife International. The excited ornithologists carefully examined the photos and confirmed that the tern is alive and well. The exact location of the islet where the birds have been found nesting is being kept a closely guarded secret to prevent them being disturbed. Egg poaching probably contributed to their decline in the first place. |
WORDS | | classified: if things are classified they are divided into groups so that those with similar characteristics are in the same group species: a class of animals or plants whose members have their main characteristics in common spotted: if you spot something you notice it even though it may not be obvious ornithologists: bird expert islet: a small island poaching: hunting, trapping or catching animals or eggs illegally, without permission on someone else's land |
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| NEWS 2 | | | Listen to the second part of the report |
| | | But it will be a challenge to protect the few remaining birds, as so little is known about these elusivecreatures. One idea that’s worked in other areas of conservation is to encourage people living nearby to benefit from protecting the species; fishermen could take birdwatchers to see these rare seabirds rather than collecting their eggs. With the rate of extinction estimated at around one hundred species per day, conservationists are taking at least a glimmer of hope from this one species still hanging on to life - just. |
| WORDS | | elusive creatures: a creature that is hard to find conservation: the preservation and protection of the environment estimated: if you estimate an amount or a quantity, you calculate it approximately or say what it is likely to be glimmer: a glimmer of something is a faint sign of it |
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