The number of bird species in trouble across Europe is rising, BirdLife International warned yesterday.

Birds in Europe, BirdLife's new in-depth study, shows that 226 species of birds, which account for 43 per cent of all birds occurring regularly in Europe, are facing an uncertain future.

In the 10 years since the publication of BirdLife's original Birds in Europe study, 45 bird species have declined in numbers and now have an unfavourable conservation status.

Many species are declining and have become rare or localised, while populations of others remain heavily depleted following huge declines suffered during the 1970s and 1980s.

"Some species are now so threatened that they may disappear from parts of Europe in the very near future," BirdLife International said.

Birds such as the corn bunting (durrajsa), linnet (gojjin), starling (sturnell), wheatear (kuda) and house martin (hawwiefa), snipe (bekkacc), curlew (gurlin) and lapwing (venewwa), are declining rapidly, largely because of drainage of lowland river valleys and upland habitat.

All of these species occur in Malta, and the corn bunting breeds here, but has decreased tremendously over the past 20 years.

However, the new assessment does provide some welcome news, as the status of 14 bird species has improved, thanks, in part, to concentrated conservation efforts.

Better protection, partly as a result of the European Union's Birds Directive, has led to increases in the Audouin's gull, one of the continent's most threatened seabirds.

The Griffon vulture and the white-tailed eagle, two of Europe's largest birds of prey, are also in better stead than they were 10 years ago.

According to the report, 16 breeding species in Malta (46 per cent of the country's 35 breeding wild bird species), are under threat.

The book Birds in Europe was launched in the Netherlands yesterday, at a conference celebrating the 25th anniversary of the European Union's Birds Directive. Another publication, Birds in the European Union, which looks specifically at how the EU has done in bird conservation, was also launched.

Birds in the European Union for the first time analyses the conservation status of birds in the enlarged European Union of 25 and gives recommendations for relevant policy sectors.

Clairie Papazoglou, head of BirdLife's European Community office in Brussels said during the book launch: "The European Union has promised to halt the loss of wildlife in Europe by 2010."