TOP EDGE Birds
Sociable Lapwing
Vanellus gregarius
The Sociable Lapwing is the rarest and most threatened of all birds that live on the Eurasian steppes – the vast grassland areas that stretch from eastern Ukraine to the Altai Mountains.
Conservation Attention
Medium
Javan Lapwing
Vanellus macropterus
The Javan Lapwing has not been recorded since 1940 and there are fears that this species has gone extinct and if there is a population it would be no larger than 50 individuals.
Conservation Attention
Low
Asian Crested Ibis
Nipponia nippon
This species is at the brink of extinction, with only 10 birds found in the wild in the 1980s.
Conservation Attention
Medium
White-winged Flufftail
Sarothrura ayresi
The White-winged Flufftail is a very rare and tiny African bird which breeds north of the equator in Ethiopia and then migrates south to Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Conservation Attention
Medium
Bannerman’s Turaco
Tauraco bannermani
This bird is brightly-coloured, but highly secretive.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
White-eyed River Martin
Eurochelidon sirintarae
The White-eyed River-martin is thought to be one of the most elusive species in the world.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Southern Hylocitrea
Hylocitrea bonthaina
The Southern Hylocitrea is endemic to Indonesia and is restricted to the slopes of Gunung Lompbatang in the far south of the south western leg of Sulawesi.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
White-headed Vulture
Trigonoceps occipitalis
The White-headed Vulture has undergone catastrophic declines in population number, with an estimate median decline in 96% over three generations (45 years)
Conservation Attention
Medium
Ashy Storm-petrel
Hydrobates homochroa
This nocturnal storm-petrel is notoriously difficult to identify due to its all dark plumage, which is hard to pick out in the dark.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Siberian Crane
Leucogeranus leucogeranus
This large white crane, with its elegant long legs and neck, stands at well over a metre in height.
Conservation Attention
Medium
Polynesian Storm-petrel
Nesofregetta fuliginosa
Very little is known about this intriguing seabird.
Conservation Attention
Low
Madagascar Serpent-eagle
Eutriorchis astur
The Madagascar Serpent-eagle is one of the rarest birds of prey in the world.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Purple-winged Ground-dove
Claravis geoffroyi
So few individuals have been observed in the last two decades that the Purple-winged Ground-dove’s long-term survival is now in question.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Somali Ostrich
Struthio molybdophanes
This species is a huge, flightless bird, with males reaching up to 275cm!
Conservation Attention
Low
Stresemann’s Bristlefront
Merulaxis stresemanni
Stresemann’s Bristlefront is so called because of the distinctive, stiff bristle-like feathers that protrude from the sides of its forehead.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Madagascar Grebe
Tachybaptus pelzelnii
Grebes are a distinct lineage with no close relatives, the fossil record is incomplete but true grebes first appear around 25–35 million years ago.
Conservation Attention
Low
Lesser Florican
Sypheotides indicus
The Lesser Florican is known for its impressive aerial courtship displays in which the male leaps vertically in the air in a flurry of wings and legs, doing so as many as 500 times a day.
Conservation Attention
Low
Black Stilt
Himantopus novaezelandiae
With an estimated population of just 93 adults, this stilt is the rarest wading bird in the world.
Conservation Attention
Medium
Northern Bald Ibis
Geronticus eremita
The Northern Bald Ibis has a very distinctive appearance, with a bare red face, neck and throat and long, narrow feathers projecting from the back of the head and neck, forming a dark ‘ruff’.
Conservation Attention
Good
Makira Moorhen
Pareudiastes silvestris
This species was only ever known from the island of Makira in the Solomon Islands.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Great Indian Bustard
Ardeotis nigriceps
The great Indian Bustard is one of the heaviest flying birds on the planet
Conservation Attention
Medium
Zapata Rail
Cyanolimnas cerverai
Little is known about this rail’s breeding behaviour or ecology as it tends to be very reclusive.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Samoan Moorhen
Pareudiastes pacificus
The Samoan Moorhen is only known from three specimens and an egg collected between 1869 and 1873.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Abbott’s Booby
Papasula abbotti
The Abbott’s Booby has a unique breeding biology, behaviour and bone structure that sets it apart from the six other booby species.
Conservation Attention
Medium
Egyptian Vulture
Neophron percnopterus
This white vulture is highly distinctive, with a bright yellow bill and face.
Conservation Attention
Medium
Titicaca Grebe
Rollandia microptera
As its name suggests, this grebe is mainly found on Lake Titicaca, a high-altitude lake, which straddles the border between Peru and Bolivia.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Western Bristlebird
Dasyornis longirostris
The Western Bristlebird is one of only three species representing an entire avian family, the Dasyornithidae, which are all endemic to Australia.
Conservation Attention
Low
Eastern Bristlebird
Dasyornis brachypterus
The Eastern Bristlebird is one of only three species representing an entire avian family, the Dasyornithidae.
Conservation Attention
Medium
Madagascar Fish-eagle
Haliaeetus vociferoides
This fish-eagle is by far the largest bird of prey found in Madagascar – a global biodiversity hotspot.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Greater Adjutant
Leptoptilos dubius
This tall, incredible bird has an almost prehistoric appearance.
Conservation Attention
Low
Subdesert Mesite
Monias benschi
The Subdesert Mesite is only found in a 200 km strip of dry, spiny forest in Madagascar called the Mikea forest, and it is only 30-40km wide.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Black-naped Pheasant-pigeon
Otidiphaps insularis
The Black-naped Pheasant-pigeon is endemic to Fergusson Island, Papua New Guinea.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Polynesian Ground-dove
Alopecoenas erythropterus
The Polynesian Ground-dove is endemic to French Polynesia, where it has become regionally extinct in some areas throughout the Tuamotu Archipelago.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Sulu Bleeding-heart
Gallicolumba menagei
The Sulu Bleeding-heart is only known from two specimens collected from Tawitawi, Philippines, in 1891.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Mindoro Bleeding-heart
Gallicolumba platenae
The Mindoro Bleeding-heart was once widespread and common, now a much smaller population remains.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Negros Bleeding-heart
Gallicolumba keayi
The Negros Bleeding Heart was once widespread and common in the 19th century, now a much smaller population remains.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Bryan’s Shearwater
Puffinus bryani
Bryan’s Shearwater is the smallest of all Puffinus shearwaters.
Conservation Attention
Low
Secretarybird
Sagittarius serpentarius
This elegant, long-legged bird kills its prey by repeatedly stamping on it.
Conservation Attention
Low
Sangihe Golden Bulbul
Thapsinillas platenae
This species is restricted to Sangihe Island, Indonesia, where there is only one subpopulation.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Beck’s Petrel
Pseudobulweria becki
Beck’s Petrel was only definitely known from two specimens taken in 1928 and 1929, until its rediscovery in 2007.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Straw-headed Bulbul
Pycnonotus zeylanicus
The straw-headed bulbul is a songbird with a golden-yellow crown and cheeks.
Conservation Attention
Medium
Olive-winged Trumpeter
Psophia dextralis
The Olive-winged Trumpeter is a newly split species, which was previously lumped together with Psophia viridis, the Dark-winged Trumpeter.
Conservation Attention
Low
Juan Fernandez Firecrown
Sephanoides fernandensis
The Juan Fernández Firecrown is only found on one island, 700km off the coast of Chile.
Conservation Attention
Low
Flores Hawk-eagle
Nisaetus floris
The Flores Hawk-eagle is believed to be found on six islands in Indonesia, and although they are essentially non-migratory, individuals are known to move between these islands.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Pulitzer’s Longbill
Macrosphenus pulitzeri
Pulitzer’s Longbill is a very elusive bird, favouring dense understorey growth.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Urrao Antpitta
Grallaria fenwickorum
The Urrrao Antpitta lives in oak dominated forest on the eastern sheltered slopes of the Western Andes from 2,500-3,300 metres above sea level
Conservation Attention
Very Low
White-bellied Heron
Ardea insignis
The White-bellied Heron is the second largest heron in the world, with adults standing at well over a metre tall.
Conservation Attention
Medium
Forest Owlet
Heteroglaux blewitti
The Forest Owlet has an extremely small and fragmented population in central India.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Tachira Antpitta
Grallaria chthonia
The Tachira Antpitta is only known from four specimens, all of which were male.
Conservation Attention
Very Low
Banded Ground-cuckoo
Neomorphus radiolosus
Despite the large size of the Banded Ground-cuckoo, this species is inconspicuous and not easy to observe.
Conservation Attention
Low
