Over a quarter of bird species in UK facing extinction

They are the symbol of summer – swifts soaring across our skies.

But a new report, to be published tomorrow, will show these once common birds have seen an alarming fall in their numbers and are being added, with house martins and others, to the red list of 70 British birds threatened with extinction.

It’s the latest warning about the poor ecological health of our country and yet more evidence that much of our nature is in trouble.