News red list

The Indian Skimmer uses its enlarged lower beak to pick up aquatic prey from the water surface © Sriram Bird Photographer / Shutterstock

Red List update: a glimmer of hope for the Indian...

Thu, 11/03/2021
Once found across South Asia, the Indian Skimmer is now restricted to a few key sites across India and Bangladesh – hence its recent classification as Endangered. Now, new evidence that the bird travels across borders indicates we’re only skimming the surface of what needs to be done…
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WorldwideBangladeshIndia
Double-banded Plover © Agami Photo Agency / Shutterstock

Double trouble for the Double-banded Plover

Tue, 09/03/2021
A south Pacific shorebird with a very unusual migration pattern, the Double-banded Plover faces different threats whichever route it chooses.
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WorldwideAustraliaNew Zealand
The Red Kite disappeared from England for 100 years © Scott M Ward / Shutterstock

Red List update: how we brought the Red Kite home...

Fri, 05/03/2021
The 2020 Red List update showed that many raptors are now in peril. In more positive news, the Red Kite was downlisted to Least Concern, thanks in part to a wildly successful reintroduction program that saw the species return to England and Scotland after a century’s absence.
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WorldwideUnited Kingdom
The Great Green Macaw was classed as Critically Endangered last year © Evgeniapp / Shutterstock

Red List update: parrots of the Americas in peril

Mon, 08/02/2021
One of the planet’s most beleaguered avian groups, the neotropical parrots, took another hit in the 2020 Red List, with a further four species moved to a higher threat category. However, success stories from our American Partners show that hope remains.
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WorldwideBahamasBoliviaBrazilColombiaCosta RicaDominican RepublicEcuadorJamaica
The Secretarybird is now Endangered © Johan Swanepoel / Shutterstock

Red List 2020: why are iconic African savannah...

Mon, 21/12/2020
Some wildlife encounters are unforgettable. But this year’s Red List update brings news that three captivating African raptor species are declining alarmingly fast due to multiple threats. Urgent action is needed to ensure these icons of the savannah don’t only exist as memories.
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WorldwideNamibiaSouth Africa
The Red-legged Partridge is now Near Threatened due to over-hunting and habitat loss © Pierre Dalous

Red List 2020: seven things you might have missed

Fri, 18/12/2020
The carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” may soon need to become one verse shorter as a European partridge is listed as Near Threatened. Meanwhile, paradise is restored for one flycatcher, proving that conservation can achieve great things. Explore these and more in our round-up of fascinating under-the-radar findings from this year’s Red List update…
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WorldwideBhutanChinaIndiaNew ZealandPapua New GuineaPeruSeychellesSpain
The Andean Condor is now classed as Vulnerable to extinction © reisegraf.ch / Shutterstock

Red List 2020: Andean Condor heads list of...

Mon, 14/12/2020
Poisoned, poached, persecuted – iconic raptors such as the Andean Condor, Secretarybird and Martial Eagle have moved to higher threat categories in this year’s update to the IUCN Red List, sparking fears that the crisis that brought many Asian and African vultures to the edge of extinction has spread to new continents and species.
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WorldwideBoliviaChileColombiaEcuador
The European Bison has moved from Vulnerable to Near Threatened © Rafał Kowalczyk

Red List 2020: European Bison recovers amid 31...

Thu, 10/12/2020
In this year’s update to the IUCN Red List of threatened species, the recovery of the European Bison shows the true power of conservation. But with 31 extinctions announced and all of the world’s freshwater dolphin species now globally threatened, it’s never been more urgent to ramp up action.
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Worldwide

5 vital projects that will continue in 2020

Thu, 30/04/2020
The good thing about BirdLife is that, as a truly global organisation, we’re already great at staying connected, even when we’re thousands of miles apart. Here are just a few of the ways our work will carry on over the coming months, even if it’s from our living rooms…
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Worldwide
Echo Parakeet female © Jacques de Speville

No longer Endangered: the Echo Parakeet’s 100-...

Fri, 24/01/2020
In this year’s Red List update, the Echo Parakeet moved from Endangered to Vulnerable – an impressive recovery for a species that once numbered just a dozen birds. But successes like this aren’t built in a day, or even a decade. Find out how Mauritius’ conservationists made it happen.
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WorldwideMauritius
Suzanne Medina and son release a Guam Rail into the wild © Guam Department of Agriculture

How did the Guam Rail come back from extinction...

Mon, 20/01/2020
After more than 30 years, the Guam Rail is back: breeding naturally beyond the confines of captive breeding enclosures – making it only the second bird species ever to recover from extinction in the wild. How did conservationists do it, and what can we learn about the threat of introduced predators?
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WorldwideGuam
The Blue-throated Macaw is bouncing back from the brink of extinction thanks to a special reserve in Bolivia © Asociacion Armonia

New study: conservation action has reduced bird...

Tue, 07/01/2020
We’ve all heard of species brought back from the brink of extinction, but have you ever wondered how impactful conservation actually is? A new study shows that global conservation action has reduced the effective extinction rate of birds by an astonishing 40%. But is it all good news?
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Worldwide
The Greater Green Leafbird is now Endangered © vil.sandi / Flickr

7 things you might have missed from the 2019 Red...

Fri, 13/12/2019
Every year, our scientists work around the clock to update the threat status of birds on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. While the amazing recovery of the Guam Rail might have taken centre stage, 2019 heralded plenty more important discoveries. From victims of climate change to exciting new information on unknown birds, here are the latest ups and downs of the avian world that might not have made the headlines.
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Worldwide
Guam Rail © Andersen Air Force

Red List 2019: Guam Rail second bird to recover...

Tue, 10/12/2019
This year’s update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species brings with it some fantastic conservation successes, including an almost unheard of incidence of a bird species coming back from extinction in the wild. But for other species, human threats are making it harder to stage a comeback.
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WorldwideBrazilGuamMauritius
There are now 473 Pink Pigeons in the wild © Mauritian Wildlife Foundation

How did the Pink Pigeon bounce back from just...

Fri, 15/02/2019
The Pink Pigeon is no longer Endangered. But how did conservationists achieve this, and is it sustainable? Dr Vikash Tatayah, Conservation Director, Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (BirdLife Partner) reports from the field…
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WorldwideMauritius
The Rufous Hummingbird may not be common for much longer © Ryan Bushby

6 things you might have missed from the Bird Red...

Fri, 23/11/2018
The recovery of the Northern Bald Ibis and Pink Pigeon are big news – but what about the other birds in this year’s Red List update? Some you may recognise, others you may not, but their stories can tell us a lot about the state of the natural world. Here are the highlights.
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WorldwideFrench PolynesiaPeruUnited States of America

Red List: Northern Bald Ibis, Pink Pigeon making...

Thu, 22/11/2018
Once down to just 10 individuals in the wild, Pink Pigeon populations are now stabilizing, and Northern Bald Ibis numbers are on the rise, according to BirdLife’s latest assessment of the extinction risk of the world’s birds.
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Worldwide
In 2017, the Liberian Greenbul was reclassified as an invalid species © HBW

Solving the world’s great bird mysteries

Thu, 03/05/2018
Keen-eyed readers will note that we ‘lost’ a species in the 2017 Red List update – the Liberian Greenbul is no longer recognised as a valid species by BirdLife. But mourn not its loss: this is simply the latest in a long line of taxonomic avian mysteries to have been solved...
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WorldwideBrazilColombiaEthiopiaLiberiaSomalia