Plan to save birds of prey

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has put forward a plan for international action to protect such rare birds of prey as eagles, vultures and owls from extinction.

A report commissioned by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) showed that more than a half the 60 species of migratory birds of prey found in Africa and Eurasia face extinction, either globally or within their regions.

"Of all types of birds, birds of prey have always fascinated people," Biodiversity Minister Jim Knight said this week at the Eighth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species in Kenya.

"They can live long lives -- hence the 'wise old owl' -- but they have low breeding rates," he added.

If the 93 signatories of the convention agree by the end of the conference on Friday to commit to the proposal, the UK will organise an intergovernmental conference to work out further details, Knight said.

So far Britain, backed by all its 24 European Union partners, has outlined priorities for the protection of the threatened species, said a DEFRA spokeswoman in Nairobi.

Priorities include protecting the birds from shooting or illegal poisoning by farmers, tackling the effects of climate change on their habitat and raising awareness of their plight.