List of extinct bird species since 1500

About 216 species of birds have become extinct since 1500, with increasing extinction rates due to human-caused influences such as habitat loss, the introduction of invasive species, and climate change. Currently there are approximately 10,000 living species of birds, with over 1,480 at risk of extinction and 223 critically endangered.
Island species in general, and flightless island species in particular, are most at risk. The situation is exemplified by Hawaii, where 30% of all known recently extinct bird taxa originally lived, and Guam, which lost over 60% of its native bird taxa in the decades following the introduction of the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis). The disproportionate number of extinctions in rails reflects the tendency of that family to lose the ability to fly when geographically isolated. Even more rails became extinct before they could be described by scientists.
The extinction dates given below are usually the dates of the last verified record (credible observation or specimen taken), which are approximations of the actual date of extinction. For many Pacific birds that became extinct shortly after European colonization, however, this leaves an uncertainty period of over 100 years, because the islands on which they lived were only rarely visited by scientists. In certain unusual cases, it is possible to pinpoint the date of extinction to a specific year or even day; the San Benedicto rock wren represents an extreme example where its extinction could be timed with an accuracy of maybe half an hour coinciding with the eruption of Bárcena.
The year 1500 serves as one common threshold of the "modern" era in which species are described scientifically, extinctions are monitored, and globalization has led to increased pressure on species. Taxa which became extinct pre-1500 are listed in List of Late Quaternary prehistoric bird species; prominent examples include the elephant birds (Aepyornis) and moa.
The kiwis of New Zealand
Ducks, geese and swans
Quails and relatives See also Bokaak "bustard" under Gruiformes below
Grebes
Shorebirds, gulls and auks
Rails and allies - probably paraphyletic
Petrels, storm petrels, shearwaters and albatrosses
Penguins
Boobies and related birds
Pelicans and related birds
Pigeons, doves and dodos For the "Réunion solitaire", see Réunion ibis.
Cuckoos
New World vultures
True owls and barn owls
Strigidae – true owls
Tytonidae – barn owls
Caprimulgidae – nightjars and nighthawks
Aegothelidae
Swifts and hummingbirds
Kingfishers and related birds
Woodpeckers and related birds
Birds of prey
Parrots
Perching birds
Acanthisittidae – New Zealand "wrens"
Tyrannidae – tyrant flycatchers
Furnariidae – ovenbirds
Mohoidae – Hawaiian honeyeaters. Family established in 2008, previously in Meliphagidae.
Meliphagidae – honeyeaters and Australian chats
Acanthizidae – scrubwrens, thornbills, and gerygones
Pachycephalidae – whistlers, shrike-thrushes, pitohuis and allies
Dicruridae – monarch flycatchers and allies
Oriolidae – Old World orioles and allies
Corvidae – crows, ravens, jays and magpies
Callaeidae – New Zealand wattlebirds
Hirundinidae – swallows and martins
Acrocephalidae – acrocephalid warblers or marsh warblers, tree warblers and reed warblers
Muscicapidae – Old World flycatchers and chats
Megaluridae – megalurid warblers or grass warblers
Cisticolidae – cisticolas and allies
Zosteropidae – white-eyes. Probably belong in Timaliidae.
Pycnonotidae – bulbuls
Sylvioidea incertae sedis
Sturnidae – starlings
Turdidae – thrushes and allies
Mimidae – mockingbirds and thrashers
Estrildidae – estrildid finches (waxbills, munias, etc.)
Icteridae – New World blackbirds and allies
Parulidae – New World warblers
Ploceidae – weavers
Cardinalidae – cardinals
Fringillidae – true finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers
Emberizidae – buntings and New World sparrows
The extinction of subspecies is a subject that is very dependent on guesswork. National and international conservation projects and research publications such as red lists usually focus on species as a whole. Reliable information on the status of vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered subspecies usually has to be assembled piecemeal from published observations, such as regional checklists. Therefore, the following listing contains a high proportion of bird taxa that may still exist, but are listed here due to any one of, or any combination of, these three factors: absence of recent records, a known threat such as habitat destruction, or an observed decline.
Ratites and related birds
Ducks, geese and swans
Quails and relatives
Shorebirds, gulls and auks
Scolopacidae – sandpipers
Turnicidae – buttonquails
Rails and allies – probably paraphyletic
Herons and related birds – possibly paraphyletic
Pigeons, doves and dodos
Cuckoos
True owls and barn owls
Strigidae – true owls
Tytonidae – barn owls
Swifts and hummingbirds
Kingfishers and related birds
Woodpeckers and related birds
Birds of prey
Falcons
Parrots
Perching birds
Pittidae – pittas
Tyrannidae – tyrant flycatchers
Furnariidae – ovenbirds
Formicariidae – antpittas and antthrushes
Maluridae – Australasian "wrens"
Pardalotidae – pardalotes, scrubwrens, thornbills and gerygones
Petroicidae – Australasian "robins"
Cinclosomatidae – whipbirds and allies
Artamidae – woodswallows, currawongs and allies
Monarchidae – monarch flycatchers
Rhipiduridae – fantails
Campephagidae – cuckooshrikes and trillers
Oriolidae – Old World orioles and allies
Corvidae – crows, ravens, jays and magpies
Regulidae – kinglets
Hirundinidae – swallows and martins
Phylloscopidae – phylloscopid warblers or leaf warblers
Cettiidae – cettiid warblers or typical bush warblers
Acrocephalidae – acrocephalid warblers or marsh warblers, tree warblers and reed warblers
Pycnonotidae – bulbuls
Cisticolidae – cisticolas and allies
Sylviidae – sylviid ("true") warblers and parrotbills
Zosteropidae – white-eyes. Probably belong in Timaliidae.
Timaliidae – Old World babblers
"African warblers"
Sylvioidea incertae sedis
Troglodytidae – wrens
Paridae – tits, chickadees and titmice
Cinclidae – dippers
Muscicapidae – Old World flycatchers and chats
Turdidae – thrushes and allies
Mimidae – mockingbirds and thrashers
Estrildidae – estrildid finches (waxbills, munias, etc.)
Fringillidae – true finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers
Icteridae – New World blackbirds and allies
Parulidae – New World warblers
Thraupidae – tanagers
Emberizoidea – buntings and New World sparrows