Endangered BIRDS

Approximately 1,200 bird species - 12% of all living bird species - are considered endangered, threatened, or vulnerable. It is too late to save some of them, but others still have a chance if we act now. 

Giant ibisAt number one is the rare and striking giant ibis (Thaumatibis gigantea) – the world’s largest ibis weighing in 4.2kg and reaching more than one metre in height. With only 230 pairs estimated to remain in the wild, it is a critically endangered species. Habitat loss, human disturbance and possible hunting have reduced its range to an extremely small, declining population concentrated in Cambodia. 

Owlet-nightjarA drawing of the New Caledonian owlet-nightjar (Aegotheles savesi) by Joseph Smit for the Ibis Journal, 1881. This mysterious species, endemic to the island of New Caledonia, has not been seen since 1998. The bird has been classified as critically endangered as its population is unlikely to number more than 50 individuals.

At number four on the list is the kakapo (Strigops habroptila), a noctural parrot that has evolved as flightless due to the historic absence of mammalian predators in its New Zealand habitat. Hunting, the introduction of predators, forest clearance and habitat degradation have caused a catastrophic decline in numbers. It is now extinct throughout its natural range, and survives only on three small, intensively managed islands following a series of successful translocations. Dedicated conservation efforts have seen the population increase slowly to 125 individuals. 

The kagu (Rhynochetos jubatus) is fifth on the list. This ash-white bird is mainly found in the dense, humid forests of New Caledonia and is known locally as the ‘ghost of the forest’.

Frigatebird

The Christmas Island frigatebird (Fregata andrewsi) is the rarest endemic seabird on Christmas Island, Australia. Its breeding habitat is affected by the invasive yellow crazy ant, while threats from habitat loss and pollution from phosphate mining are ongoing. Photograph: Franco Salmoiraghi/Alamy

Ground cuckoo

The Sumatran ground cuckoo (Carpococcyx viridis), at number 10, is a forest-dwelling bird endemic to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is estimated that there are 70-400 individuals in the wild. While little is known about the species, it may well be in decline due to deforestation. Photograph: Nick Brickle/WCS