PUNE: Continuous destruction of their habitat in India is pushing birds more and more into the danger zone.

This is clear from the fact that the latest International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List (2014) says 173 species in India are now threatened.

The latest IUCN list reveals that while earlier, the newly discovered, Bugun Liocichla, a small and colorful bird from the northeast, was vulnerable, now it is critically endangered.

That's not all, studies conducted by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS)-India, BirdLife International (UK) and other partner organizations indicate that eight more bird species have now joined the threatened list, according to a statement issued by the BNHS on Saturday.

The newly added eight threatened species of birds are woolly-necked stork, Andaman teal, Andaman green pigeon, ashy-headed green pigeon, red-headed falcon, Himalayan griffon, bearded vulture and yunnan nuthatch.

In November 2013, in a revision of the IUCN list, five species had been added to the threatened list, which includes great stone plover, Alexandrine parakeet, grey-headed parakeet, blossom-headed parakeet and red-breasted parakeet.

The latest additions should act as a wake-up call for environment advocates as birds are the best indicator of environment.