Birds that dive may be at greater risk of extinction

The animals could be becoming trapped in their environments by their own adaptations

photo of an African penguin standing on a rock and bowing its head

The African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is one of many diving birds threatened with extinction.

Vicki Jauron, Babylon and Beyond Photography/Getty Images Plus

Birds that dive underwater — such as penguins, loons and grebes — may be more likely to go extinct than their nondiving kin, a new study finds.