Europe's rarest seabird will be extinct within 60 years, according to a new analysis.
Urgent action is needed to stop the Balearic sheerwater being drowned in fishing lines and nets, say scientists.The bird breeds in the Balearic Islands, sometimes stopping off in British waters as it migrates north.
Research shows the global population is not sustainable in the long term. There are about 3,000 breeding pairs left.
The main threat to the bird is becoming entangled in fishing gear, according to findings published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.
Other risks include hunting by the likes of cats and other small mammals.
Prof Tim Guilford of the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford is co-researcher on the study.
He told BBC News: "The survival of adults from one year to the next and especially of young adults is much lower than we thought.
"The species is unsustainable - it is on the road to extinction.=READ MORE ON BBC LINK=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35778655
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