List of vulnerable birds

In December 2020, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed 798 vulnerable avian species.[1] Of all evaluated avian species, 7.3% are listed as vulnerable. No subpopulations of birds have been evaluated by the IUCN.

•   Extinct in the wild (EW): 5 species
•   Critically endangered (CR): 223 species
•   Endangered (EN): 460 species
•   Vulnerable (VU): 798 species
•   Near threatened (NT): 1,001 species
•   Least concern (LC): 8,460 species
•   Data deficient (DD): 46 species

Avian species (IUCN, 2020-3)

• 10,999 extant species have been evaluated
• 10,947 of those are fully assessed[lower-alpha 1]
• 9,461 are not threatened at present[lower-alpha 2]
• 1,481 to 1,533 are threatened[lower-alpha 3]
• 164 to 183 are extinct or extinct in the wild:
  • 159 extinct (EX) species[lower-alpha 4]
  • 5 extinct in the wild (EW)
  • 19 possibly extinct [CR(PE)]

---

1. excludes data deficient evaluations.
2. NT and LC.
3. Threatened comprises CR, EN and VU. Upper estimate additionally includes DD.
4. Chart omits extinct (EX) species

Vulnerable (VU) species are considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.

For a species to be assessed as vulnerable to extinction the best available evidence must meet quantitative criteria set by the IUCN designed to reflect "a high risk of extinction in the wild". Endangered and critically endangered species also meet the quantitative criteria of vulnerable species, and are listed separately. See: List of endangered birds, List of critically endangered birds. Vulnerable, endangered and critically endangered species are collectively referred to as threatened species by the IUCN.

Additionally, 53 avian species (0.48% of those evaluated) are listed as data deficient, meaning there is insufficient information for a full assessment of conservation status. As these species typically have small distributions and/or populations, they are intrinsically likely to be threatened, according to the IUCN.[2] While the category of data deficient indicates that no assessment of extinction risk has been made for the taxa, the IUCN notes that it may be appropriate to give them "the same degree of attention as threatened taxa, at least until their status can be assessed".[3]

This is a complete list of vulnerable avian species evaluated by the IUCN. Where possible common names for taxa are given while links point to the scientific name used by the IUCN.