Poor air quality 'sees exodus of Tehran's birds'

Environmental campaigners in the Iranian capital city of Tehran have claimed that the city's birds are migrating to safer climes due to the area's poor air quality.

The birds' habitats have been threatened by increasing levels of pollution, reported the Guardian, as urban development and toxic fumes prompt the birds to take flight from the capital.

Head of the city's environment agency Mohammad Bagher Sadough said that the presence of crows and other birds has previously assured residents that there was still hope for the city's environment.

"With their migration that hope is fading and our concern over the destructiveness of urban environments has deepened," he stated.

High levels of carbon monoxide and other toxic gases have been detected in the capital city in recent times, the newspaper informed.

In other air quality news, officials have announced moves to restrict the amount of traffic flowing through the streets of the Hungarian