It’s a common question with a somewhat difficult answer – how many birds are in the world? Ornithologists (someone who studies birds) have been trying to answer this question for years and, due to the difficulty of finding and counting every species, these are likely to be underestimated according to Our World In Data. Nevertheless, let’s take a look at the best estimations we have so far.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), there are an estimated 10,000 bird species in the world. Of these, 2,300 are thought to be at risk of extinction. This means that approximately 23% of all known bird species are threatened with becoming extinct in the wild.
The IUCN also estimates that around 12% of all bird species are currently considered “data deficient.” This means that there is not enough information available to make a judgment about their conservation status. For many of these species, we simply do not know enough about them to determine whether or not they are at risk of extinction.
These numbers are based on an assessment of 5,743 species and were published in the IUCN Red List in 2018. According to this report, the number of bird species at risk of extinction has increased by 179 since 2016 – meaning that the conservation status of birds is deteriorating at an alarming rate. The primary drivers of this decline are habitat loss and degradation, as well as unsustainable levels of hunting and trapping pressure.
According to Our Word In Data, we see that there are more than 11,000 described bird species in the world.
As you can see, getting an accurate estimate of how many birds are in the world is no easy task. Furthermore, with so many species under threat of extinction, it’s more important than ever that we do everything we can to protect our feathered friends.
