Endangered + threatened bird species
25 Years of Protecting Birds
There are slightly more than 10,000 species of birds worldwide, ranging from the bee hummingbird of Cuba, at only 2.75 inches long, to the ostrich, which can grow to stand 9 feet tall and weigh over 300 pounds.
Birds are a living link with the dinosaurs—evidence suggests that they evolved from theropod dinosaurs 200 to 150 million years ago. Birds are all bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrates, but beyond that the variations seem endless. Some, like the lesser prairie chicken, are homebodies, while others are world travelers. The sooty shearwater migrates nearly 40,000 miles every year, from New Zealand to the North Pacific Ocean and back—a distance over one and a half times the circumference of the Earth.
From the trickster raven to the patriotic bald eagle, from the mating dances of western grouse to the antics of jays, birds enrich our lives with symbolism, character, and the simple grace of their presence. But life is getting harder for bird species around the world. Migratory birds face barriers to their annual journeys such as power lines, cell phone towers, and shrinking stopover points such as wetlands. Some birds have extensive ranges, such as the Sprague’s pipit, which once extended across one billion acres in North America, while others inhabit just a small corner of the earth. But whether they are wide-ranging or not, many are threatened by shrinking ranges due to energy development, livestock grazing, logging, crop agriculture, and urban development. Beautiful parrots are taken from their homes for the pet trade, and sea birds such as the albatross die from ingesting ocean-borne plastic. Of all known birds species, 1,130 (12 percent), are considered threatened by the IUCN’s 2010 Red List. Without swift action, we may lose many of our skyway navigators.
25 Years of Protecting Birds and Their Habitats
From our founding to the present day, endangered bird conservation has been one of WildEarth Guardians’ highest priorities. Our most controversial campaigns and some of our biggest conservation victories—whether with spotted owls or sage grouse—came as a result of efforts to protect the habitats of endangered birds.
Our bird conservation strategies focus on protecting imperiled species by invoking federal environmental laws, including primarily the Endangered Species Act, and protecting public lands. We also conduct hands-on streamside habitat restoration work that has aided countless birds in the southwest.
While we believe in the intrinsic right of all species to exist, we prioritize umbrella and indicator bird species whose strategic value is that they help protect large ecosystems and can act as a protective surrogate for other species.
Endangered Birds
From our founding to the present day, endangered bird conservation has been one of WildEarth Guardians’ highest priorities. Our most controversial campaigns and some of our biggest conservation victories—whether with spotted owls or sage grouse—came as a result of efforts to protect the habitats of endangered birds.
More about endangered birds >
