There has been a significant decline amongst Australian raptor species including the black-breasted buzzard since European settlement in the late 1700s.[14] Historic records indicate the black-breasted buzzard became extinct in some areas of its former range by as early as the 1930s.[14] Causes of population declines in raptor species of the arid and semi-arid regions of Australia include broad-scale landscape changes due to extensive pastoralism and clearing of native vegetation; overgrazing by stock, feral animals and increased kangaroo populations; altered fire regimes; the introduction of destructive feral predators such as the house cat (Felis catus) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes); and the cessation of traditional Aboriginal hunting and land management practices.[2][14] Intense periods of drought through the 1900s and 2000s are known to have compounded the impacts on already stressed raptor communities.[3][14]