Colombia Mega Dam Will Destroy Habitat for Threatened Birds

[American Bird Conservancy]

Celebrations over the discovery in Colombia of a new species of bird were short lived when it was revealed that much of its habitat – also the habitat for a threatened macaw – is in danger of being flooded by a new hydro-electric dam project.

The July edition of The Auk – a leading, peer-reviewed ornithology journal – announcing the discovery of the Antioquia Wren (Thryophilus sernai) in the Central Andes of Colombia, came one year into a seven-year construction project for what is to become the largest power station in the country. The nearly $5.5 billion, 738 foot tall Pescadero-Ituango hydroelectric dam will flood 15 square miles of habitat, drowning all six locations where the newly identified bird has been confirmed so far.

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