The World's Rarest Birds [Course Book ed.] 9781400844906

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The World's Rarest Birds

Erik Hirschfeld, Andy Swash & Robert Still With contributions by Nick Langley, Stuart Butchart, Brian Clews & Gill Swash WILDGuides

and illustrations by Tomasz Cofta

Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, 6 Oxford Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1TW nathist.press.princeton.edu Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to Permissions, Princeton University Press Copyright © 2013 Erik Hirschfeld, Andy Swash & Robert Still Copyright in the photographs remains with the individual photographers. Copyright in the illustrations remains with Tomasz Cofta. The species data and range maps in this publication are developed and maintained by BirdLife International. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available Library of Congress Control Number 2012945960 ISBN 978-0-691-15596-8 Production and design by WILDGuides Ltd., Old Basing, Hampshire UK Printed in Singapore

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Images on Title Page (left-to-right, from top line): Marbled Murrelet Brachyramphus marmoratus. Photo: Tom Middleton (reflectingthewild.com). Balearic Shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus. Photo: Tom Brereton. Spoon-billed Sandpiper Eurynorhynchus pygmeus. Photo: Pavel Pinchuk (aqua-wader.blogspot.com). Chinese Crested Tern Brachyramphus marmoratus. Photo: Michelle & Peter Wong. Palila Loxioides bailleui. Photo: Eric VanderWerf (pacificrimconservation.com). Ivory-billed Woodpecker Campephilus principalis. Illustration: Tomasz Cofta. Red-crowned Crane Grus japonensis. Photo: Huajin Sun (birdnet.cn). Okinawa Rail Gallirallus okinawae. Photo: Ambrosini. Long-whiskered Owlet Xenoglaux loweryi. Photo: Dubi Shapiro (pbase.com/dubisha). Banded Cotinga Brachyramphus marmoratus. Photo: Ciro Albano (nebrazilbirding.com). Amber Mountain Rock-thrush Monticola erythronotus. Photo: Dubi Shapiro (pbase.com/dubisha). Philippine Eagle Pithecophaga jefferyi. Photo: Rich Lindie. Masafuera Rayadito Aphrastura masafuerae. Photo: Peter Hodum (oikonos.org). Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophrys. Photo: David Monticelli (pbase.com/david_monticelli). Kakapo Strigops habroptila. Photo: Shane McInnes. Golden White-eye Cleptornis marchei. Photo: Jack Jeffrey (jackjeffreyphoto.com).

Contents The World's Rarest initiative ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction to the world's birds . .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 8

Diversity and distribution .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 8



Endemic Bird Areas .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 8



Important Bird Areas ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 9



Birds and humans . ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 10

The world's rarest birds .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 11

The IUCN/BirdLife species category assignment process ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 12



Going or gone? ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 16



The known unknowns .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 20



The distribution of threatened birds ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22



Last chances to save ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 24

The threats birds face .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 25

Agriculture and aquaculture . ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 28



Logging/plant harvesting ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 30



Invasive and other problematic species ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 32



Hunting and trapping . .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 34



Residential and commercial development ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 36



Fire and fire management ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 38



Climate change and severe weather ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 39



Geological events ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 40



Human disturbance ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 41



Pollution ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 42



Transport and other infrastructure . ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 44



Energy production and mining . ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 45



Dams and water abstraction . ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 46



Fishing . ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 47

The need for conservation ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 48 Threats without borders .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 50 The Regional Directories (see overleaf for full listing) .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 54

Structure of the regional sections . .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 54



Glossary of terms ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 56

Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 332 appendix 1

– Extinct Species ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 336

appendix 2

– The bird families with globally threatened species ............................................................................................................................................ 339

Index ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 347

The Regional Directories Europe and the Middle East . ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 58

The conservation challenges .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 62 Regional Directory ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 64

Africa and Madagascar .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 68

Africa and Madagascar – the conservation challenges ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 72 threatened bird hotspot – Madagascar ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 74 threatened bird hotspot – Angola . .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 76 conservation challenge – Grassland Management . ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 78 Regional Directory . ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 80

Asia ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 100

Asia – the conservation challenges .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 104 threatened bird hotspot – The Philippines ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 106 threatened bird hotspot – Indonesia ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 108 conservation challenge – Vultures ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 110 conservation challenge – Bustards . ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 112 conservation challenge – Hornbills ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 114 conservation challenge – The world’s most threatened flyway .................................................................................................................................................................................... 116 Regional Directory . ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 118

Australasia ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 150

Australasia – the conservation challenges ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 154 threatened bird hotspot – Australia . ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 156 threatened bird hotspot – New Zealand .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 158 threatened bird hotspot – Australasian Islands ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 160 threatened bird hotspot – New Caledonia ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 162 Regional Directory . ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 164

Oceanic Islands ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 180

Oceanic islands – the conservation challenges . ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 186 threatened bird hotspot – Hawaii ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 190 threatened bird hotspot – Polynesia & Micronesia ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 194 threatened bird hotspot – Galápagos ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 196 threatened bird hotspot – Indian Ocean Islands . ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 198 threatened bird hotspot – Atlantic Ocean Islands ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 200 conservation challenge – The albatross conundrum ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 202 Regional Directory . ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 206

The Caribbean, North and Central America ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 236

The threatened birds – an overview ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 240 threatened bird hotspot – The Caribbean ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 242 threatened bird hotspot – North America . ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 244 threatened bird hotspot – Central America .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 246 Regional Directory . ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 248

South America .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 264

South America – the bird continent ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 268 threatened bird hotspot – Chocó (Colombia and Ecuador) .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 270 threatened bird hotspot – Peru . ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 272 threatened bird hotspot – The Amazon Basin . ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 274 threatened bird hotspot – The Atlantic Forest ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 276 conservation challenge – Hunting and trapping ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 278 Regional Directory . ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 280

Data Deficient Species . ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 322

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Let the birds speak for themselves…

Araripe Manakin Antilophia bokermanni Photo: Ciro Albano (nebrazilbirding.com)

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Winning photographs from The World's Rarest Birds photo competition: Critically Endangered species (above left top to bottom) 1st 2nd 3rd

Kakapo Strigops habroptila: Shane McInnes – see page 151. Brazilian Merganser Mergus octosetaceus: Sávio Freire Bruno (uff.br/biodiversidade) – see page 26. Christmas Island Frigatebird Fregata andrewsi: David Boyle – see page 45.

Endangered or DATA DEFICIENT species (above right top to bottom) 1st 2nd 3rd

Asian Crested Ibis Nipponia nippon: Quan Min Li (birdnet.cn) – see page 101. Red-crowned Crane Grus japonensis: Huajin Sun (birdnet.cn) – see front cover. Marvellous Spatuletail Loddigesia mirabilis: Daniel Rosengren (scutisorex.se) – see page 265.

Migratory Critically Endangered species (right) 1st Orange-bellied Parrot Neophema chrysogaster: David Boyle – see page 53.

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The World's Rarest initiative In 2008 and 2009, the Rare Birds Yearbooks were published. These were produced in order to put a spotlight on the 190 or so most threatened birds in the world – those that are Critically Endangered – and to present the latest information about them in a form that was readily accessible to everyone. The aim was to increase awareness of the often dire situations faced by many of these species, and to show what each looks like with an accompanying photo or painting. With the rapid development of digital cameras and increased interest in photography among birders, scientists and explorers alike, many fantastic images were becoming available – and so the time seemed right to present these birds with stunning colour pictures. The publication of the Yearbook was intended to be annual in order to reflect changes in threat status and to summarize the most recent findings from dedicated researchers across the world. BirdLife International, the global partnership of conservation organizations that acts as a ‘watchdog’ over bird species, was supportive of the Rare Birds Yearbook concept from the outset. BirdLife's exhaustive compilation of scientific information on each species, augmented with thousands of emails to researchers worldwide for updates, provided the authoritative basis for the Yearbooks. A photo competition was arranged in order to obtain images and the first Rare Birds Yearbook was published in 2008. This was followed a year later by the 2009 edition, which was also underpinned by a photo competition. Both photo competitions were mainly sponsored by the quality optics company Minox. The Rare Birds Yearbooks were sold in over 40 countries. They were produced by a small team in Sweden and were successful in generating funds to support BirdLife's Preventing Extinctions Programme. However, the impact of the books outside Europe could have been greater. A fortuitous meeting between Erik Hirschfeld, editor of the Rare Birds Yearbooks, and Andy Swash, Managing Director of the British publisher WILDGuides, led to a proposal to change the scope of the project to encompass the species that are categorized as Endangered or Data Deficient, in addition to those that are Critically Endangered. WILDGuides have recently joined forces with Princeton University Press in the USA and this will help to ensure that the books they produce are available to more people, particularly in the Americas. Given the increasing number of excellent bird photographs that are being taken, it was decided to produce a large format book featuring as many images of Endangered and Critically Endangered species as possible. This would also provide an opportunity to summarize their current status and the reasons for their being threatened, and to provide some information about their distribution and ecology. In order to make the book as accessible to as many people as possible, regardless of where the reader lives, the decision was made to divide it into eight sections: an introduction to the world's birds and the threats they face; and seven ‘regional directories’ covering all the species that are found there. A comprehensive review of the threat status of every bird species is undertaken every four years by BirdLife International, as the Red List authority for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The outcome of the most recent review was published in May 2012, and publication of this book has been timed to reflect the new categories. Sadly, 197 species are now categorized as Critically Endangered and 389 as Endangered, and four now only exist in captivity. In addition, 60 species are so poorly known that they are classified as Data Deficient. The challenge in producing this book was to obtain photographs of as many of these 650 species as possible. To achieve this, an international photo competition was organized and run, with an attractive range of prizes on offer through the generous sponsorship of Minox, the publishers Lynx Edicions, WILDGuides and Princeton University Press, BirdLife International and World Migratory Bird Day. The response was astonishing, with over 3,500 photos submitted by over 300 photographers from around the world. The winning images all appear in this book, together with over 800 others. With these images, and the kind agreement of the photographers to re-use photos submitted for the Rare Birds Yearbooks, photos of 515 of the threatened species to be featured (87%) and 21 of the Data Deficient species were obtained and are presented here. For the threatened species that have never been photographed, either because they have rarely been seen or may in fact be extinct, or for which publishable photos could not be obtained (76 species), the highly acclaimed Polish artist Tomasz Cofta kindly agreed to produce an illustration. These amazing works of art are the result of many hours of painstaking attention to detail and provide, for the first time for many species, an indication of how they may appear (or have appeared) in life. New information about the species covered in this book is coming to light every day. For this reason, readers are encouraged to visit the BirdLife website – www.birdlife.org – for the latest information and to subscribe to their newsletters.

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Introduction to the world's birds Diversity and distribution

No. of species

10–50 Over 10,000 species of bird are currently recognized by 50–100 BirdLife International, which 100–250 is the IUCN (International 250–500 Union for Conservation of 500–750 Nature) Red List authority 750–1000 for all birds. As of May 2012, when BirdLife International's 1000–1250 four-yearly update of the 1250–1500 status of all the world's birds 1500–1750 for The IUCN Red List was 1750–1810 released, there were 10,064 birds species (9,934 extant BirdLife International and 130 extinct since 1500), and NatureServe (2012): The number of bird species in each of the world's countries bird species distribution with a number of others maps of the world awaiting decisions on their validity. These species are not distributed evenly across the world: 3,370 species are concentrated in the American tropics (Neotropics), compared to just 937 in the largest of the world's ecozones, the Palearctic (Europe, Asia north of the Himalayas, North Africa and the Middle East).

The number of species currently known to breed or to occur as regular migrants to each of the world's countries is shown on the map above. Six of the seven countries with the most bird species are in Neotropical South America, led by Colombia with 1,810 species. Indonesia, the only non-Neotropical country among the top seven, comes in fifth place with 1,559 species. The first African country in the league table, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, comes in tenth place, with 1,081 species, behind China with 1,237 and India with 1,166. Yet the Afrotropical realm as a whole holds 21% of the world's bird species. Birds are found in all major habitat types. Although some species occur in two or more habitats, many are confined to just one. Grasslands, savanna and inland wetlands are all important habitats for birds, each supporting about 20% of species, and shrublands support 39% of birds. Around 45% are found in ‘artificial’ habitats: those that have been modified by humans, such as agricultural land. But by far the most significant habitat is forest, supporting 75% of all species. Birds occur in all forest types, from subantarctic woodland to equatorial rainforest. The most important types are tropical/ subtropical lowland and montane moist forest, which support 50% and 35% of species respectively, with tropical/ subtropical dry forest supporting 18%.

Endemic Bird Areas Most bird species are widespread and have large ranges. However, over 2,500 (about one-quarter of all species) are restricted to an area of less than 50,000 km2, within which they are said to be endemic (i.e. not found anywhere else). BirdLife International has identified regions of the world that include the entire global distributions of two or more of these restricted-range species, and refers to them as Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs). Worldwide, there are 218 EBAs covering a total area of 7·3 million square kilometres – that is just 4·9% of the Earth's land surface. These are shown on the map opposite. A further 138 areas have been identified as Secondary Areas, which support one or more restricted range species, but do not contain the entire ranges of two or more of them. EBAs are found around the world, but most (77%) are located in the tropics and subtropics. There are approximately equal numbers of island (105) and mainland EBAs (113). Of the island EBAs, 70% are on oceanic islands and 30% on continental-shelf islands. Of those on the mainland, 42% are largely in montane areas, 35% in lowland areas and 24% span both. The natural habitat in most EBAs (83%) is forest. The number of restricted-range landbirds occurring in EBAs varies from two to over 50, and they encompass 93% of the world's restricted-range bird species, as well as many other species that are more widespread. Half of all restricted-range species are globally threatened or near threatened and the other half are vulnerable to the loss or degradation of habitat due to the small size of their ranges. EBAs are, therefore, the highest priority for habitat-based conservation.

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Important Bird Areas BirdLife International operates the global Important Bird Area (IBA) Programme, which aims to identify, protect and manage a network of sites that will ensure the survival and long-term viability of bird species for which a site-based approach to conservation is appropriate. IBAs are selected using standard, internationally recognized criteria based on the species and populations of birds they support. Among other criteria, an IBA may be recognized because it regularly holds significant numbers of a globally threatened species, or of a group of species whose ranges define an Endemic Bird Area. To date, over 11,000 IBAs have been identified and these are shown on the map below. The IBA network may be considered as the minimum suite of sites required to ensure the survival of the bird species across their ranges, should other habitat be lost. BirdLife's IBA Programme aims to guide the implementation of national conservation strategies through the promotion and development of national protected-area programmes. It also aims to inform the conservation activities of international organizations and to promote the implementation of global agreements and regional measures.

The global distribution of Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

BirdLife International (2012) Important Bird Areas of the World

Secondary Areas

The global distribution of Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs) and Secondary Areas From: Stattersfield, A.J., Crosby, M.J., Long, A.J. and Wege, D.C. (1998) Endemic Bird Areas of the World. Priorities for biodiversity conservation. BirdLife Conservation Series 7. Cambridge: BirdLife International

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Birds and humans Humans have found uses for up to 45% of the world's bird species, from hunting them for food or sport, to keeping them as pets or for their singing or fighting skills, using their feathers for decoration or bedding (eiderdowns and pillows), tanning their skins for leather (ostriches and rheas), or using their melted-down fat to fuel lamps (oilbirds). The domesticated descendants of the Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus now provide a staple of diets across much of the world. This species has been very successfully exploited, and on any one day there are five times as many chickens alive as people. However, when exploitation becomes unsustainable, it can set a species on the path to extinction. The Passenger Pigeon Ectopistes migratorius, possibly the most numerous bird species in the world at the beginning of the 19th century, and extinct in the wild by the beginning of the 20th, is the starkest example. But hunting, trapping for the cagebird market and collection of eggs for food are still a significant threat for 194 globally threatened species today. Birds provide a range of 'services’ that often go uncosted, and are therefore overlooked. Members of families such as honeyeaters (Meliphagidae), sunbirds (Nectariniidae) and sugarbirds (Promeropidae) have co-evolved to be the main or exclusive pollinators of some plants and trees. In Hawaii, following the extinction of many honeycreeper species, some endemic trees are unable to set fruit. The loss of the Tui Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae and New Zealand Bellbird Anothornis melanura from New Zealand's North Island has similarly caused a dramatic fall in fruit-setting by some native plant species. The role of birds in ‘pest control’ is better known. An assessment of the impact of birds such as Evening Grosbeak Coccothraustes vespertinus on spruce budworm outbreaks in North America estimated that it would cost over US$1,820 per square kilometre per year, over a 100-year rotation, to achieve the same results by spraying. In the Bet-She’an Valley, Israel, Barn Owls Tyto alba are estimated to remove at least 80,000 rats and mice from the fields every year. With the catastrophic decline of vultures across the Indian subcontinent and large parts of Africa, the service they provided in removing animal carcasses and offal and other wastes is being performed by rising numbers of feral dogs and rats, dangerous to humans in their own right, and as vectors of disease. A recent study in India estimates that there has been an increase in the feral dog population of at least 5·5 million, and that this has resulted in more than 47,300 extra human deaths from rabies. Birds are the source of symbols in our art, and phrases in our languages and music, and models for our dances. In recent decades, they have also become a major focus for our leisure, with one in five people in the USA claiming to spend time watching birds, and one in three in the UK watching or feeding them. Many of these people have been transformed into citizen scientists by events like the Christmas Bird Count in the USA (now spreading to the rest of the Americas and Caribbean) and the Big Garden Birdwatch in the UK. The mass of information these enthusiasts provide has been invaluable in tracking the status of bird populations, and the impacts of climate change. Ubiquitous, conspicuous and (usually) relatively easily identified, birds are good indicators of environmental states and changes, serving as a proxy for all biodiversity. More is known about the status and distribution of birds than about any other order of animals or plants. This is reflected by the fact that just 60 (0·6%) of the world's bird species are so poorly known that their theat status cannot be determined (see pages 20 and 322–331). Sites identified as important for birds (BirdLife's Important Bird Areas), and parts of the world where range-restricted bird species are found (Endemic Bird Areas), have also been found to capture 70–90% of other biodiversity, including mammals, snakes, amphibians and plants.

The lust to possess the Critically Endangered Bali Starling Leucopsar rothschildi is such that in 1999, when black market prizes soared, an armed raid was launched on the captive breeding centre, snatching most of birds waiting to be introduced to the wild. The free-flying population on Bali remains at fewer than 50 individuals. Photo [captive]: Dolora Batchelor.

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The world's rarest birds This book focuses on the 197 Critically Endangered and 389 Endangered bird species listed by BirdLife International on the 2012 IUCN Red List. ‘The World's Rarest’ should be taken as shorthand for ‘the most threatened’, noting that some of these species may still be quite abundant, but declining extremely rapidly, and hence qualifying as Critically Endangered or Endangered under the ‘A’ criterion of The IUCN Red List (see page 13). Conversely, some rare birds are not globally threatened. The Powerful Owl Ninox strenua, with a global population of 2,200–2,800 mature individuals, is naturally sparsely distributed, with huge home ranges of up to 5,000 hectares in eastern and south-eastern Australia. There are fewer than 10,000 Madeira Laurel Pigeons Columba trocaz within an area of just 160 km2, but they have reoccupied all areas of suitable habitat on the island, following a ban on hunting. Both species are currently considered of Least Concern. The population of New Zealand Scaup Aythya novaeseelandiae is estimated to be 5,000–10,000 individuals. Nowhere common, it is spread thinly on clear water lakes and lagoons near the sea on New Zealand's North and South Islands. However, numbers are increasing since hunting was banned, and this ‘rare’ bird is considered of Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Photo [captive]: Andy & Gill Swash (WorldWildlifeImages.com).

Although still numbered in the hundreds of thousands, Northern Rockhopper Penguin Eudyptes moseleyi has declined by over 50% in three generations over much of its range in the south Atlantic, and thus qualifies as Endangered. With up to 760,000 individuals, the Marbled Murrelet Brachyramphus marmoratus is even more abundant, but this species too has declined by over 50% over 20 years, and is also considered Endangered. Photo: Marie-Hélène Burle.

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The IUCN/BirdLife species category assignment process Not Evaluated

NE

Species data not adequate for assessment

Data Deficient

DD

Species data adequate for assessment

ASSIGNMENT TO CATEGORIES using Red List criteria (see table opposite for ‘threatened’ category assignment thresholds)

Species not evaluated Species evaluated

The IUCN Red List categories As the designated Red List Authority for all birds, BirdLife International is responsible for providing the assessments to IUCN for the Red List. To achieve this, it collates all the relevant data on each species, and applies them to the Red List criteria in order to assign each species to a category of extinction risk. The criteria have quantitative thresholds for each category, and are based on combinations of range and population size, trend and structure (see table opposite).

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T H R E A T E N E D

Extinct

EX

Extinct in the Wild

EW

Critically Endangered

CR

Endangered

EN

Vulnerable

VU

Near Threatened

NT

Least Concern

LC

The threat status of the Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus jumped from Least Concern to Endangered in 2011. This was based on evidence that it was declining very rapidly because of hunting for bushmeat and traditional medicine, poisoning of carcasses laid out to kill large carnivores, and improvements in rubbish collection and hygiene at abattoirs. Photo: Andy & Gill Swash (WorldWildlifeImages.com).

Simplified overview of thresholds for The IUCN Red List criteria Critically Endangered (CR)

Endangered (EN)

Vulnerable (VU)

Reduction in population size

≥ 90%

≥ 70%

≥50%

Over 10 years / 3 generations in the past, where causes are reversible, understood and have ceased.

A2-4: Reduction in population size

≥ 80%

≥ 50%

≥30%

Over 10 years / 3 generations in past, future or combination.

Criterion A1:

Qualifiers and notes

B1:

Small range (extent of occurrence)