London: More than 500 bird species are on track to vanish from the planet within the next century unless urgent, targeted recovery efforts are implemented. The information is based on a major new study published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.
Researchers from the University of Reading examined data on nearly 10,000 bird species, using assessments from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and found that the world is facing a bird extinction crisis unprecedented in modern times.
Without intervention, iconic species such as the Atlantic puffin, European Turtle Dove, and Great Bustard could disappear forever, threatening to unravel ecosystems globally.
Lead author Dr. Kerry Stewart called the findings shocking, noting that the number of bird species likely to go extinct in the coming century is three times greater than the total lost over the last 500 years.
It’s feeding time! Atlantic Puffin parents Millie and Willie bring back beakfuls of fish each day to feed their rapidly growing chick. You can watch the goings-on of burrow 54 live every day at our @exploreorg live cam: https://t.co/lBxrHTBC5x pic.twitter.com/xI7xGvzM13
— Audubon Society (@audubonsociety) June 22, 2025
“We face a bird extinction crisis unprecedented in modern times. Even if threats like habitat destruction, hunting, and climate change were to stop today, nearly 250 species are already so vulnerable they could still die out,” said Stewart.
The study identified habitat loss, largely driven by expanding and intensifying agriculture, as the leading cause of species decline. Other significant threats include hunting, invasive species, logging, and climate breakdown.
Researchers emphasized that simply reducing human pressures will not be enough for many of these critically threatened birds. Instead, special recovery programs including captive breeding, habitat restoration, and species reintroduction will be essential for survival.
“Stopping threats is not enough. As many as 250–350 species will require complementary conservation measures to survive the next century,” said senior author Professor Manuela González-Suárez.
Despite the grim forecast, the study points to hopeful examples that show extinction can be reversed with committed conservation action.
In the United States, the California condor, once extinct in the wild by 1987 was revived through captive breeding programs. Today, over 350 birds soar in the wild once again.
In the United Kingdom, the bittern, a wetland-dwelling bird, had disappeared as a breeding species in the 1870s due to wetland drainage. Thanks to habitat restoration, the population has now reached its highest level in over two centuries, with more than 280 booming male bitterns recorded last year.
The new findings align with the most recent State of the World’s Birds report, which found that nearly half of all bird species worldwide are in decline.
Protected areas are important, but some species need much more, including captive breeding, translocations, and supplementary feeding. There is a need to act across the entire conservation spectrum.
