What birds are becoming extinct?

Bird populations around the world are in decline. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 13% of the world’s approximately 10,000 bird species are threatened with extinction. This is a serious concern for the health of global ecosystems, as birds play critical roles in pollinating plants, dispersing seeds, controlling insect populations, and more.

There are many factors driving the loss of birds. The two greatest threats facing birds are habitat loss and degradation, and climate change. As natural areas are converted for human use, birds lose their homes and food sources. Climate change is shifting temperature and rainfall patterns, disrupting migration cycles and food availability. Introduced predators, overexploitation, pollution, and disease outbreaks are also major problems.

Critically endangered bird species

Bird species classified as “critically endangered” by the IUCN face an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. There are currently 179 critically endangered bird species in the world. Some examples include:

• Spix’s Macaw: With less than 100 individuals left in the wild, this striking blue parrot is now extinct in the wild. Habitat loss in Brazil has driven its demise.
• California Condor: Poisoning and habitat destruction decimated populations down to just 22 birds in the 1980s. Conservation efforts have helped numbers rebound to over 300 today.
• Kakapo: This unusual flightless parrot found only in New Zealand has been nearly wiped out by habitat loss and invasive predators. Only 211 survive today.
• Philippine Eagle: Deforestation and hunting have pushed Asia’s largest eagle to the brink, with only 250-400 breeding pairs in the wild.
• Javan White-eye: Habitat loss has reduced this tiny songbird to a single island population of less than 50 pairs.

Without intensified conservation efforts, these and many other critically endangered birds may soon join the hundreds of avian species that have been lost to extinction in modern times.

The Top 10 Most Critically Endangered Bird Species

Here is a closer look at the top 10 most critically endangered bird species, ordered by estimated remaining population size from lowest to highest:

This table illustrates just how precarious of a position the rarest bird species are in. From the extinct Po’ouli of Hawaii to the Spix’s Macaw that now only survives in captivity, these birds represent just a handful of individuals left on the planet. Targeted conservation plans are urgently needed to prevent their disappearance.

Why are birds going extinct?

There are four major threats that have contributed to extinctions and endangerment of birds worldwide:

Habitat loss and degradation

The greatest threat facing birds is loss of habitat. As forests are logged, grasslands plowed, and wetlands drained for human use, birds lose their homes and sources of food. Most endangered birds today are forest dependent, especially on tropical rainforests which are disappearing at an alarming rate. For example, the sole habitat of the critically endangered Javan White-eye is threatened by development pressure on the Indonesian island of Java.

Invasive and introduced species

Non-native predators and competitors introduced into new environments have decimated many unique island bird species. Domestic cats and rats in particular are estimated to kill billions of birds each year. Predation by these invaders is the primary threat to endangered species like the Guam Rail and Hawaiian Petrel.

Climate change

Warming temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, sea level rise, and increased storm activity associated with climate change are starting to have major impacts on bird populations. Migratory birds are arriving at breeding grounds out of sync with food sources, seabird colonies are being flooded, and habitat is being altered. The endangered Hawaiian Petrel suffers from increasingly severe storms washing away eggs and burrows.

Overexploitation

Overhunting for food, feathers, or the pet trade has pushed many sought-after bird species to the brink, including parrots, raptors, and gamebirds. Millions of birds are still illegally captured each year despite trade restrictions under CITES. The Philippine Eagle has declined due to hunting and poaching.

A variety of other threats are also contributing to declines in endangered and common birds, including pollution, pesticides, oil spills, power line collisions, and disease. Preventing extinctions will require comprehensively addressing all of these threats.

Recently extinct bird species

At least 187 bird species are suspected to have gone extinct since the year 1500. Some notable examples include:

• Passenger Pigeon: This species once numbered in the billions, but was hunted to extinction by 1914.
• Carolina Parakeet: This brightly colored parrot was driven to extinction by habitat loss and persecution as an agricultural pest by the early 1920s.
• Ivory-billed Woodpecker: Logged forests and collecting eliminated this crow-sized woodpecker from the southeastern U.S. by the mid-20th century.
• Dodo: This flightless bird was easily killed by humans and invasive species after its island home of Mauritius was colonized in the 17th century.
• Labrador Duck: Hunting and egg collecting wiped out this unusual seaduck by the late 19th century.

The extinction of the Passenger Pigeon was one of the greatest environmental disasters in modern times. Its story serves as a cautionary tale about just how quickly human actions can wipe out even extremely abundant species.

Bird species considered “extinct in the wild”

Some critically endangered bird species no longer have any surviving individuals in the wild, but are still around in captive populations. Examples of “extinct in the wild” birds include:

• Spix’s Macaw: This brilliant blue parrot from Brazil cannot be found in the wild, but around 100 exist in captivity.
• Guam Rail: Only around 230 survive in captive breeding colonies after being wiped out in the wild by invasive brown tree snakes.
• Hawaiian Crow: Habitat loss and non-native predators drove this species from the wild by the early 2000s, but over 100 birds survive in breeding facilities.
• Puerto Rican Amazon: Severe habitat loss caused this parrot’s extinction in the wild, but a captive population has allowed reintroduction efforts to begin.

While a species surviving in captivity is better than complete extinction, the goal is to eventually restore wild populations. Captive breeding programs serve as an insurance policy against total extinction.

Endangered bird species at risk of extinction

Hundreds of other bird species beyond those critically endangered are still at serious risk of extinction. The IUCN designates them in decreasing levels of vulnerability as endangered, vulnerable, and near threatened. Some examples in these categories include:

Endangered

• Whooping Crane: Once reduced to just 21 birds, this crane still has only about 500 individuals despite conservation work.
• Kiritimati Reed-warbler: This warbler found only on one tiny Pacific island has a population under 1,000 and declining due to habitat changes.
• Balearic Shearwater: This seabird winters along busy Mediterranean shipping lanes where collisions and pollution threaten its few thousand remaining birds.

Vulnerable

• Tuamotu Sandpiper: Only about 2,200 of these small shorebirds remain across sparse Pacific islands impacted by climate change.
• Greater Sage-Grouse: Habitat loss has left maybe a few hundred thousand of these iconic Western game birds across 11 U.S. states and Canada.
• Waved Albatross: Breeding on just one island off Ecuador, this species is threatened by fishing, pollution, and climate impacts to ocean food webs.

Near Threatened

• Cerulean Warbler: Logging in tropical wintering grounds and Appalachian breeding areas has reduced this migratory songbird to under half a million.
• MacQueen’s Bustard: Hunting and habitat degradation have cut this Central Asian species to an estimated 44,000-57,000 remaining birds.
• Long-tailed Duck: Though still numerous at over 2.5 million, declines from oil pollution, hunting, and habitat loss warrant concern.

Targeted conservation action will be needed to reverse declines and stabilize populations of these and many other endangered and vulnerable bird species.

Extinct and endangered bird success stories

Despite sobering statistics on declining bird populations, there have been some major success stories through dedicated conservation work:

• California Condor: Intensive captive breeding efforts brought this iconic vulture back from just 22 individuals in 1987 to over 300 today.
• Whooping Crane: Similarly, zoos and breeding programs helped the world’s rarest crane rebound from 21 birds in 1941 to around 500 today.
• Peregrine Falcon: Banning DDT allowed populations of this powerful predator to recover from devastating declines caused by pesticide poisoning.
• Seychelles Magpie-robin: Habitat restoration increased numbers of this endangered songbird from just 26 birds on one tiny island to nearly 200 across four islands today.
• Black Robin: One single breeding female anchored the revival of this New Zealand songbird to over 250 birds on island sanctuaries.

Targeted conservation partnerships can make a difference, even from the brink of extinction. Public support is vital for funding such expensive, long-term programs to protect our rarest birdlife.

How we can help endangered birds

Concerned citizens can take a number of actions to help support both common and endangered bird populations:

• Donate to reputable bird and habitat conservation organizations such as Audubon, American Bird Conservancy, and Nature Conservancy.
• Contact government representatives to voice support for strengthening endangered species protections and funding.
• Reduce plastics use to limit ocean pollution that harms seabirds and marine food sources.
• Keep cats indoors to protect billions of birds killed annually from outdoor pet predation.
• Make windows bird-safe using methods such as screens, UV-reflective glass, or exterior markers to prevent collisions.
• Buy shade-grown coffee to preserve wintering habitat for migratory songbirds at tropical farms.
• Create native plant gardens with berries and nectar for birds in yards or community green spaces.
• Reduce use of pesticides and chemicals that poison birds or contaminate food chains.
• Support efforts to control invasive species that harm native island birds.
• Report illegal trade in endangered bird species to wildlife authorities.

Birds enrich our world and are integral to healthy ecosystems. But without more forceful action to address threats, many unique and fascinating avian species may soon be gone for good.

Conclusion

Bird populations worldwide are facing an extinction crisis driven by human activities such as habitat destruction, climate change, invasive species, overexploitation, and pollution. Hundreds of species are endangered or critically endangered, and many have gone extinct in recent centuries. Conservation efforts have helped recover some species from the brink, but continued habitat protection, captive breeding initiatives, policy change, and public engagement are critically needed to prevent further extinctions and stabilize populations. With the future of so many amazing birds at stake, public support for conservation is vital to ensure our skies remain vibrant and filled with nature’s splendid and melodious creatures.