This page refers only to birds that have gone extinct since the year 1500 and usually were subject to scientific study while alive.

For a list of early taxa of birds known only from fossil

Fossil

Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...

s, see List of fossil birds. For birds extinct in Late Quaternary prehistoric times and usually known from specimens not completely fossilized, see Late Quaternary prehistoric birds

Late Quaternary prehistoric birds

Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...

.

Since 1500, over 190 species of bird

Bird

Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

s have become extinct

Extinction

In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...

, and this rate of extinction seems to be increasing. The situation is exemplified by Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

, where 30% of all known recently extinct bird taxa originally lived. Other areas, such as Guam

Guam

Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...

, have also been hit hard; Guam has lost over 60% of its native bird taxa in the last 30 years, many of them due to the introduced Brown Tree Snake

Brown tree snake

The brown tree snake is an arboreal rear-fanged colubrid snake native to eastern and northern coastal Australia, Papua New Guinea, and a large number of islands in northwestern Melanesia....

.

Currently there are approximately 10,000 species of birds, with an estimated 1,200 considered to be under threat of extinction.

Island species in general, and flightless island species in particular are most at risk. The disproportionate number of rails

Rallidae

The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...

 in the list 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; these taxa are listed in Later Quaternary Prehistoric Birds.

The extinction dates given below are usually approximations of the actual date of extinction. In some cases, more exact dates are given as it is sometimes possible to pinpoint the date of extinction to a specific year or even day (the San Benedicto Rock Wren

San Benedicto Rock Wren

The San Benedicto Rock Wren is a small extinct passerine which was endemic to San Benedicto Island in the Revillagigedo Islands off Mexico. It was a subspecies of the Rock Wren.-Extinction:...

 is possibly the most extreme example—its extinction could be timed with an accuracy of maybe half an hour). Extinction dates in the literature are usually the dates of the last verified record (credible observation or specimen taken); in many Pacific birds which became extinct shortly after European contact, however, this leaves an uncertainty period of over a century because the islands on which they used to occur were only rarely visited by scientists.

Struthioniformes

The Ostrich

Ostrich

The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...

 and related ratites.

• Elephant Bird
  Elephant bird
  Elephant birds are an extinct family of flightless birds found only on the island of Madagascar and comprising the genera Aepyornis and Mullerornis.-Description:...
  
  , Aepyornis maximus and/or A. medius (Madagascar, 16th century?)

The taxonomy of the elephant birds is not fully resolved; it is certain that at least one taxon survived until some 1000 years ago at least. Judging from geographical data, A. maximus and the smaller A. medius are possibilities.

• Upland Moa, Megalapteryx didinus (South Island, New Zealand, late 15th century?)

Generally believed to have been extinct by 1500, this is the only Moa

Moa

The moa were eleven species of flightless birds endemic to New Zealand. The two largest species, Dinornis robustus and Dinornis novaezelandiae, reached about in height with neck outstretched, and weighed about ....

 species that according to current knowledge might have survived until later times, possibly as late as the 1830s.

• King Island Emu
  King Island Emu
  The King Island Emu or Black Emu is an extinct sub-species of emu which occurred on King Island between mainland Australia and Tasmania. It is known from 19th century descriptions of live birds, as well as subfossil bones and one museum specimen...
  
  , Dromaius ater (King Island, Australia, 1822)

Extinct in the wild c. 1805, the last captive specimen died in 1822 in the Jardin des Plantes

Jardin des Plantes

The Jardin des Plantes is the main botanical garden in France. It is one of seven departments of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle. It is situated in the 5ème arrondissement, Paris, on the left bank of the river Seine and covers 28 hectares .- Garden plan :The grounds of the Jardin des...

.

• Kangaroo Island Emu
  Kangaroo Island Emu
  Kangaroo Island Emu or Dwarf Emu is an extinct member of the bird family Casuariidae. It was restricted to Kangaroo Island, South Australia, which was known as Ile Decrés by the members of the Baudin expedition. It differed from the mainland Emu mainly in its smaller size...
  
  , Dromaius baudinianus (Kangaroo Island, Australia, 1827)
• West Coast Spotted Kiwi, Apteryx occidentalis (South Island, New Zealand, c. 1900)

A doubtful form known from a single bird; may be a Little Spotted Kiwi

Little Spotted Kiwi

The Little Spotted Kiwi or Little Gray Kiwi, Apteryx owenii, is a small species of kiwi originally from New Zealand's South Island that, around 1890 and 1910 was captured and later released on Kapiti Island...

 subspecies or a hybrid between that species and the Rowi.

Anseriformes

Anseriformes

The order Anseriformes contains about 150 living species of birds in three extant families: the Anhimidae , Anseranatidae , and the Anatidae, which includes over 140 species of waterfowl, among them the ducks, geese, and swans.All species in the order are highly adapted for an aquatic existence at...

Duck

Duck

Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...

s, geese

Goose

The word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....

 and swan

Swan

Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...

s.

• Korean Crested Shelduck, Tadorna cristata (Northeast Asia, late 20th century?)

A relict species

Relict

A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon.* In biology a relict is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas....

 from Northeast Asia. Officially critically endangered

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

 due to recent unconfirmed reports.

• Réunion Shelduck
  Réunion Shelduck
  The Réunion Shelduck or Kervazo's Egyptian Goose is an extinct species of goose from Réunion. It was a close relative of the Egyptian Goose and was about the same size. There is only one description remaining, that of Dubois made in 1674. He merely mentions that they were similar to European geese...
  
  , Alopochen kervazoi (Réunion, Mascarenes, c.1690s)
• Mauritian Shelduck
  Mauritian Shelduck
  The Mauritian Shelduck is an extinct species of goose from Mauritius. It was a close relative of the Egyptian Goose. Known from one or two subfossil carpometacarpus bones and a few descriptions, this bird was about the size of a Brent Goose. Its appearance is unknown, except that its wings showed...
  
  , Alopochen mauritianus (Mauritius, Mascarenes, c.1695)
• Amsterdam Duck, Anas marecula (Amsterdam Island, South Indian Ocean, c.1800)
• Saint Paul Island Duck, Anas sp. (Saint Paul Island, South Indian Ocean, c.1800)

only known by a painting from 1793. Might be identical with the Amsterdam Island Duck or a distinct species or subspecies.

• Mauritian Duck
  Mauritian Duck
  The Mauritian Duck , also known as Sauzier's Teal, is an extinct dabbling duck that formerly occurred on the islands of Mauritius and Réunion. It was a small teal of the Anas gibberifrons superspecies of the Anas subgenus Nettion...
  
  , Anas theodori (Mauritius and Réunion, Mascarenes, late 1690s)
• Mariana Mallard
  Mariana Mallard
  The Mariana Mallard or Oustalet's Duck is an extinct type of duck of the genus Anas that was endemic to the Mariana Islands...
  
  , Anas oustaleti (Marianas, West Pacific, 1981)
• Finsch's Duck
  Finsch's Duck
  Finsch's Duck was a large terrestrial species of duck formerly endemic to New Zealand. The species was possibly once the most common duck in New Zealand, a supposition based on the frequency of its fossils in bone deposits...
  
  , Chenonetta finschi from New Zealand possibly survived to 1870
• Pink-headed Duck
  Pink-headed Duck
  The Pink-headed Duck is a large diving duck that was once found in parts of the Gangetic plains of India, Bangladesh and in the riverine swamps of Myanmar but feared extinct since the 1950s. Numerous searches have failed to provide any proof of continued existence...
  
  , Rhodonessa caryophyllacea (East India, Bangladesh, North Myanmar, 1945?)– a reclassification into the genus Netta is recommended but not generally accepted.

Officially critically endangered

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

; recent surveys have failed to rediscover it.

• Réunion Pochard, Aythya cf. innotata (Réunion, Mascarenes, c.1690s)

A bone of a pochard found on Réunion seems to resolve the reports of canards other than the Mauritian Duck

Mauritian Duck

The Mauritian Duck , also known as Sauzier's Teal, is an extinct dabbling duck that formerly occurred on the islands of Mauritius and Réunion. It was a small teal of the Anas gibberifrons superspecies of the Anas subgenus Nettion...

 having occurred on the island. The taxonomic status of this form cannot be resolved until more material is found, however.

• Labrador Duck
  Labrador Duck
  The Labrador Duck was a striking black and white eider-like sea duck that was never common, and is believed to be the first bird to become extinct in North America after 1500. The last Labrador Duck is believed to have been seen at Elmira, New York on December 12, 1878; the last preserved specimen...
  
  , Camptorhynchus labradorius (Northeast North America, c.1880)
• Auckland Merganser, Mergus australis (Auckland Islands, Southwest Pacific, c.1902)

Galliformes

Galliformes

Galliformes are an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding domestic or game bird, containing turkey, grouse, chicken, New and Old World Quail, ptarmigan, partridge, pheasant, and the Cracidae. Common names are gamefowl or gamebirds, landfowl, gallinaceous birds or galliforms...

Quail

Quail

Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally considered in the order Galliformes. Old World quail are found in the family Phasianidae, while New World quail are found in the family Odontophoridae...

s and relatives.

See also Bokaak "Bustard" under Gruiformes below

The Double-banded Argus

Double-banded Argus

A mysterious pheasant, the Double-banded Argus, Argusianus bipunctatus, is known only from the portion of a single primary flight feather...

, Argusianus bipunctatus, was described based on a single aberrant feather piece from an unknown locality found in 1871; it was subsequently conjectured to be an extinct species but is apparently a rather simple developmental aberration.

• The Pile-builder Megapode
  Pile-builder Megapode
  The Pile-builder Megapode is an extinct species of megapode. The fossil remains were found by Jean-Christophe Balouet and Storrs L. Olson in caves on New Caledonia and Tonga.-Description:...
  
  , Megapodius molistructor may have survived on New Caledonia to the late 18th century as evidenced by descriptions of the bird named "Tetrao australis" and later "Megapodius andersoni".
• The Viti Levu Scrubfowl, Megapodius amissus of Viti Levu
  Viti Levu
  Viti Levu is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji, the site of the nation's capital, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population.- Geography and economy :...
  
   and possibly Kadavu, Fiji
  Fiji
  Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
  
  , may have survived to the early 19th or even the 20th century as suggested by circumstantial evidence.
• Raoul Island Scrubfowl, Megapodius sp. (Raoul, Kermadec Islands, 1876)

A megapode is said to have inhabited Raoul Island until the population was wiped out in a volcanic eruption. It is not clear whether the birds represent a distinct taxon or derive from a prehistoric introduction by Polynesian seafarers.

• New Zealand Quail
  New Zealand Quail
  The New Zealand Quail , or koreke , has been extinct since 1875. The male and female were similar, except the female was lighter. The first scientist to describe it was Sir Joseph Banks when he visited New Zealand on James Cook's first voyage...
  
  , Coturnix novaezelandiae (New Zealand, 1875)
• Himalayan Quail
  Himalayan Quail
  The Himalayan Quail is a medium-sized quail belonging to the pheasant family. It was last reported in 1876 and is feared extinct. This species was known from only 2 locations in the western Himalayas in Uttarakhand, north-west India...
  
  , Ophrysia superciliosa (North India, late 19th century?)

Officially critically endangered

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

. Not recorded with certainty since 1876, but thorough surveys are still required, and there is a recent set of possible (though unlikely) sightings around Naini Tal in 2003. A little-known native name from Western Nepal

Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...

 probably refers to this bird, but for various reasons, no survey for Ophrysia has ever been conducted in that country, nor is it generally assumed to occur there (due to the native name being overlooked).

Charadriiformes

Charadriiformes

Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...

Shorebirds, gull

Gull

Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...

s and auk

Auk

An auk is a bird of the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes. Auks are superficially similar to penguins due to their black-and-white colours, their upright posture and some of their habits...

s.

• Javanese Lapwing
  Javanese Lapwing
  The Javanese Lapwing, Vanellus macropterus also known as Javanese Wattled Lapwing is a wader in the lapwing family.This large, long-legged wader inhabited the marshes and river deltas of Java, and possibly Sumatra and Timor. It was last seen in 1940, and as it was a conspicuous species unlikely to...
  
  , Vanellus macropterus (Java, Indonesia, mid-20th century)

Officially classified as critically endangered

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

, but as this conspicuous bird has not been recorded since 1940, it is almost certainly extinct.

• Tahitian Sandpiper
  Tahitian Sandpiper
  The Tahiti Sandpiper or Tahitian Sandpiper, Prosobonia leucoptera, is an extinct member of the large wader family Scolopacidae that was endemic to Tahiti in French Polynesia....
  
  , Prosobonia leucoptera (Tahiti, Society Islands, 19th century)
• White-winged Sandpiper
  White-winged Sandpiper
  The White-winged Sandpiper, Prosobonia ellisi, is an extinct member of the large wader family Scolopacidae that was endemic to the Moorea in French Polynesia, where the locals called it te-te in the Tahitian language....
  
  , Prosobonia ellisi (Moorea, Society Islands, 19th century)

Doubtfully distinct from P. leucoptera.

• North Island Snipe
  North Island Snipe
  The North Island Snipe , also known as the Little Barrier Snipe, is an extinct species of bird in the Scolopacidae, or sandpiper family that was endemic to New Zealand.-Taxonomy and etymology:...
  
  , Coenocorypha barrierensis (North Island
  North Island
  The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
  
  , New Zealand, 1870s)
• South Island Snipe
  South Island Snipe
  The South Island Snipe , also known as the Stewart Island Snipe or Tutukiwi in Maori, is an extinct species of bird in the Scolopacidae, or sandpiper family that was endemic to New Zealand.-Taxonomy and etymology:...
  
  , Coenocorypha iredalei (South and Stewart Islands, New Zealand, 1964)
• Eskimo Curlew
  Eskimo Curlew
  The Eskimo or the "Northern Curlew" is a critically endangered shorebird, now considered by many to be extinct.-Taxonomy:The Eskimo Curlew is one of eight species of curlew, and is classed with them in the genus Numenius. It was formerly placed in the separate genus Mesoscolopax. Numenius is...
  
  , Numenius borealis (Northern North America, late 20th century?)

May still exist; officially classified as critically endangered, possibly extinct

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

.

• Slender-billed Curlew
  Slender-billed Curlew
  The Slender-billed Curlew, Numenius tenuirostris, is a bird in the wader family Scolopacidae. It breeds in marshes and peat bogs in the taiga of Siberia, and is migratory, formerly wintering in shallow freshwater habitats around the Mediterranean...
  
  , Numenius tenuirostris (Western Siberia, early first decade of the 21st century?)

May still exist; officially classified as critically endangered

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

. A few birds were recorded in 2004, following several decades of increasing rarity. There was an unconfirmed sighting in Albania in 2007. A survey to find out whether this bird still exists is currently being undertaken by the RSPB (BirdLife

BirdLife International

BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...

 in the UK

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

).

• Great Auk
  Great Auk
  The Great Auk, Pinguinus impennis, formerly of the genus Alca, was a large, flightless alcid that became extinct in the mid-19th century. It was the only modern species in the genus Pinguinus, a group of birds that formerly included one other species of flightless giant auk from the Atlantic Ocean...
  
  , Pinguinus impennis (North Atlantic, early 1850s)
• Canarian Oystercatcher, Haematopus meadewaldoi (Eastern Canary Islands, E Atlantic, c. 1940?)

Later sightings of black oystercatchers off Senegal

Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...

 were not likely to be of this sedentary species, but two records from Tenerife

Tenerife

Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...

 - the last in 1981 - may be.

Gruiformes

Gruiformes

The Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like"....

Rail

Rallidae

The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...

s and allies. Probably paraphyletic.

"Leguat

François Leguat

François Leguat was a French explorer and naturalist.Leguat was a French Huguenot originating from the Province of Bresse, now part of the department of Ain, who fled to Holland in 1689 after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685...

's Giant" or géant, a hypothetical giant rail from the Mascarenes described as Leguatia gigantea, is based on his descriptions of flamingos, as Leguat was not familiar with their French name flamand or thought that it referred to other birds (it was in his time sometimes used for spoonbill

Spoonbill

Spoonbills are a group of large, long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, which also includes the Ibises.All have large, flat, spatulate bills and feed by wading through shallow water, sweeping the partly opened bill from side to side...

s, for example).

• Antillean Cave-rail, Nesotrochis debooyi known by pre-Columbian bones from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Stories of an easy to catch bird named carrao heard by Alexander Wetmore in 1912 on Puerto Rico might refer to this species.
• Hawkins' Rail
  Hawkins' Rail
  Hawkins' Rail or Giant Chatham Island Rail, Diaphorapteryx hawkinsi, was a flightless extinct bird endemic to the Chatham Islands east of New Zealand. It is known to have existed only on the main islands of Chatham Island and Pitt Island...
  
  , Diaphorapteryx hawkinsi (Chatham Islands, SW Pacific, 19th century)
• Red Rail
  Red Rail
  The Red Rail or Red Hen of Mauritius, Aphanapteryx bonasia, is an extinct rail. It was only found on the island of Mauritius. The Red Rail, which today is only known from a large number of bones, some descriptions and a handful of drawings and paintings, was a flightless bird, somewhat larger than...
  
  , Aphanapteryx bonasia (Mauritius, Mascarenes, c. 1700)
• Rodrigues Rail
  Rodrigues Rail
  The Rodrigues Rail or Leguat's Gelinote is an extinct bird named after the learned traveller François Leguat, who came with a band of Huguenot religious refugees to Rodrigues in 1691 and stayed there for two years. It was also mentioned by Julien Tafforet in 1726...
  
  , Aphanapteryx leguati (Rodrigues, Mascarenes, mid-18th century)
• Bar-winged Rail
  Bar-winged Rail
  The Bar-winged Rail was a species of bird in the Rallidae family.It was endemic to Fiji and was last collected ca 1890 in Viti Levu. The species was idenitifed from twelve 19th century specimens, some of which are known to be in Boston, London and New York...
  
  , Nesoclopeus poecilopterus (Fiji, Polynesia, c. 1980)
• New Caledonian Rail
  New Caledonian Rail
  The New Caledonian Rail is a large and drab flightless rail that is found on the island of New Caledonia in the Pacific. It is a dull brown above, with grey underparts, and has a yellowish, downward-curving bill...
  
  , Gallirallus lafresnayanus (New Caledonia, Melanesia, c. 1990?)

Officially classified as critically endangered

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

, the last records were in 1984 and it seems that all available habitat is overrun by feral pigs and dogs, which prey on this bird.

• Wake Island Rail
  Wake Island Rail
  The extinct Wake Island Rail was a flightless rail and the only native land bird on the Pacific atoll of Wake. It was found on the islands of Wake and Wilkes, but not on Peale, which is separated from the others by a channel of about 100 meters.-Description:The adult bird had a length of . The...
  
  , Gallirallus wakensis (Wake Island, Micronesia, 1945)
• Tahiti Rail, Gallirallus pacificus (Tahiti, Society Islands, late 18th– 19th century)
• Dieffenbach's Rail
  Dieffenbach's Rail
  The Dieffenbach's Rail was a species of bird in the Rallidae family. It was endemic to New Zealand. It became extinct due to introduced predators.-References:...
  
  , Gallirallus dieffenbachii (Chatham Islands, SW Pacific, mid-19th century)
• Vava'u Rail, Gallirallus cf. vekamatolu (Vava'u, Tonga, early 19th century?)

This bird is known only from a drawing by the 1793 Malaspina

Alessandro Malaspina

Alessandro Malaspina was an Italian nobleman who spent most of his life as a Spanish naval officer and explorer...

 expedition, apparently depicting a species of Gallirallus. The 'Eua Rail, Gallirallus vekamatolu, is known from prehistoric bones found on 'Eua

'Eua

Eua is a smaller but still major island in the kingdom of Tonga. It is close to Tongatapu, but forms a separate administrative division. It has an area of 87.44 km2, and a population in 2006 of 5,165 people.- Geography :...

, but this species is almost certainly not G. vekamatolu, as that bird was flightless and hence is unlikely to have settled 3 distant islands. However, it probably was a close relative.

• The Norfolk Island Rail, Gallirallus sp. may be the bird shown on a bad watercolor illustration made around 1800.
• Chatham Rail
  Chatham Rail
  The Chatham Rail is an extinct species of bird in the Rallidae family. It was endemic to New Zealand.Cabalus modestus was endemic to Chatham, Mangere and Pitt Islands, New Zealand. It was first discovered on Mangere in 1871, and 26 specimens collected there are known from museum collections. It...
  
  , Cabalus modestus (Chatham Islands, SW Pacific, c. 1900)
• Réunion Rail
  Réunion Rail
  The Réunion Rail also known as Dubois's Wood-rail is an extinct rail species which was endemic to the Mascarenes island of Réunion...
  
   or Dubois's Wood-rail, Dryolimnas augusti (Réunion, Mascarenes, late 17th century)
• Ascension Crake, Mundia elpenor (Ascension, Island, Atlantic, late 17th century)– formerly Atlantisia
• Saint Helena Crake, Porzana astrictocarpus (Saint Helena, Atlantic, early 16th century)
• Laysan Rail
  Laysan Rail
  The Laysan Rail or Laysan Crake was a tiny inhabitant of the Northwest Hawaiian Island of Laysan. This small island was and still is an important seabird colony, and sustained a number of endemic species, including the rail. It became extinct due to habitat loss by domestic rabbits, and ultimately...
  
  , Porzana palmeri (Laysan Island, Hawaiian Islands, 1944)
• Hawaiian Rail
  Hawaiian Rail
  The Hawaiian Rail , Hawaiian Spotted Rail, or Hawaiian Crake was a somewhat enigmatic species of diminutive rail that lived on Big Island of Hawaii, but is now extinct. It was a flightless bird that was apparently found in shrubland and secondary growth on abandoned fields and in times of danger...
  
  , Porzana sandwichensis (Big Island, Hawaiian Islands, c. 1890)
• Kosrae Crake, Porzana monasa (Kosrae, Carolines, c. mid-late 19th century)
• Miller's Rail
  Miller's Rail
  The Miller's Rail was a species of bird in the Rallidae family.It was endemic to Tahiti. It was discovered and painted by Georg Forster during the second Cook voyage. John Frederick Miller copied Forsters painting and published it with some changes and remarks in his work Cimelia Physica in 1784....
  
  , Porzana nigra (Tahiti, Society Islands, c. 1800)

Known only from paintings and descriptions; taxonomic status uncertain as the material is often believed to refer to the extant Spotless Crake

Spotless Crake

The Spotless Crake is a species of bird in the rail family, Rallidae.It is found in American Samoa, Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Micronesia, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Pitcairn, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Tonga.-References:* BirdLife...

.

• Saint Helena Swamphen, Aphanocrex podarces (Saint Helena, Atlantic, 16th century)– formerly Atlantisia
• Lord Howe Swamphen
  Lord Howe Swamphen
  The Lord Howe Swamphen or White Gallinule, Porphyrio albus, was a large bird in the family Rallidae endemic to Lord Howe Island, Australia. It was similar to the Purple Swamphen, but with shorter and more robust legs and toes. Its plumage was white, sometimes with a few blue feathers, and it was...
  
  , Porphyrio albus (Lord Howe Island
  Lord Howe Island
  Lord Howe Island is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, directly east of mainland Port Macquarie, and about from Norfolk Island. The island is about 11 km long and between 2.8 km and 0.6 km wide with an area of...
  
  , SW Pacific, early 19th century)
• Réunion Swamphen
  Réunion Swamphen
  The Réunion Swamphen, Réunion Gallinule or Oiseau bleu is a hypothetical species of extinct rail from Réunion, Mascarenes until now only known from reports of travellers....
  
   or Oiseau bleu, Porphyrio coerulescens (Réunion, Mascarenes, 18th century)

Known only from descriptions. Former existence of a Porphyrio on Réunion is fairly certain, but not proven to date.

• Marquesas Swamphen
  Marquesas Swamphen
  Marquesas Swamphen is a presumably extinct species of swamphen from the Marquesas Islands. It was originally described from 600 year old subfossil remains from Tahuata and Hiva Oa...
  
  , Porphyrio paepae (Hiva Oa and Tahuata, Marquesas)

May have survived to c. 1900. In the lower right corner of Paul Gauguin

Paul Gauguin

Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading French Post-Impressionist artist. He was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, print-maker, ceramist, and writer...

's 1902 painting Le Sorcier d'Hiva Oa ou le Marquisien à la cape rouge there is a bird which reminds of native descriptions of P. paepae.

• The North Island Takahē
  North Island Takahe
  The North Island Takahē or Mōho, Porphyrio mantelli, is an extinct rail that was found in the North Island of New Zealand. This flightless species is known from subfossils from a number of archeological sites and from one possible 1894 record...
  
  , Porphyrio mantelli known from subfossil bones found on North Island, New Zealand, may have survived to 1894 or later.
• New Caledonia Swamphen, Porphyrio kukwiedei from New Caledonia, Melanesia, may have survived into historic times. The native name n'dino is thought to refer to this bird.
• Samoan Wood Rail
  Samoan Wood Rail
  The Samoan Wood Rail , also known as Samoan Moorhen, is a nearly flightless rail endemic to the Samoan island of Savai'i, and probably extinct...
  
  , Gallinula pacifica (Savai'i, Samoa, 1907?)

Probably better placed in the genus Pareudiastes, unconfirmed reports from the late 20th century suggest it still survives in small numbers, and therefore it is officially classified as critically endangered

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

.

• Makira Wood Rail, Gallinula silvestris (Makira, Solomon Islands, mid-20th century?)

Only known from a single specimen, this rail is probably better placed in its own genus, Edithornis. There are some unconfirmed recent records that suggest it still survives, and thus it is officially classified as critically endangered

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

.

• Tristan Moorhen
  Tristan Moorhen
  The Tristan Moorhen is an extinct flightless rail from the South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha. It was physically similar to the Gough Island Moorhen of Gough Island, located 395 miles to the southeast....
  
  , Gallinula nesiotis (Tristan da Cunha, Atlantic, late 19th century)
• Mascarene Coot
  Mascarene Coot
  The Mascarene Coot is an extinct species of coot that inhabited the Mascarene islands of Mauritius and Réunion. Long known from subfossil bones found on the former island, but only assumed from descriptions to also have been present on the latter, remains have more recently been found on Réunion...
  
  , Fulica newtoni (Mauritius and Réunion, Mascarenes, c. 1700)
• Fernando de Noronha Rail, Rallidae gen. et sp. indet. (Fernando de Noronha, W. Atlantic, 16th century?)

A distinct species of rail inhabited Fernando de Noronha island, but it has not been formally described yet. Probably was extant at Western contact.

• Tahitian "Goose", Rallidae gen. et sp. indet. (Tahiti, late 18th century?)

Early travellers to Tahiti reported a "goose" that was found in the mountains. Altogether, a species of the rail genus Porphyrio seems the most likely choice.

• Bokaak "Bustard", Rallidae? gen. et sp. indet. 'Bokaak'

An unidentified terrestrial bird is mentioned in an early report from Bokaak in the Marshall Islands. It is described as a "bustard

Bustard

Bustards, including floricans and korhaans, are large terrestrial birds mainly associated with dry open country and steppes in the Old World...

" and may have been a rail or a megapode. In the former case it may have been a vagrant of some still-extant species; in any case, no bird that could be described as "bustard-like" is found on Bokaak today.

• Rallidae gen. et sp. indet. 'Amsterdam Island'

Unknown rail from Amsterdam Island, one specimen found but not recovered. Extinct by 1800 or may have been straggler of extant species.

Podicipediformes

Grebe

Grebe

A grebe is a member of the Podicipediformes order, a widely distributed order of freshwater diving birds, some of which visit the sea when migrating and in winter...

s.

• Colombian Grebe
  Colombian Grebe
  The Colombian Grebe , was a grebe found in the Bogotá wetlands in the Eastern Andes of Colombia. The species was still abundant on Lake Tota in 1945. The species has occasionally been considered a subspecies of Black-necked Grebe The Colombian Grebe (Podiceps andinus), was a grebe (aquatic...
  
  , Podiceps andinus (Bogotá area, Colombia, 1977)
• Alaotra Grebe
  Alaotra Grebe
  The Alaotra Grebe , also known as Delacour's Little Grebe or Rusty Grebe, was a grebe endemic to Lake Alaotra and surrounding lakes in Madagascar. The last sighting was in 1985 and the species was declared extinct in 2010...
  
  , Tachybaptus rufolavatus (Lake Alaotra, Madagascar, 1985)

Officially declared extinct in 2010, 25 years after the last official sighting. Declined through habitat destruction and hybridization with the Little Grebe

Little Grebe

The Little Grebe , also known as Dabchick, member of the grebe family of water birds. At 23 to 29 cm in length it is the smallest European member of its family. It is commonly found in open bodies of water across most of its range.-Description:The Little Grebe is a small water bird with a pointed...

. Disappeared from only known location in the 1980s.

• Atitlán Grebe
  Atitlán Grebe
  The Atitlán Grebe , also known as Giant Grebe, Giant Pied-billed Grebe, or Poc, is an extinct water bird, a relative of the Pied-billed Grebe. It was endemic at the Lago de Atitlán in Guatemala at an altitude of 1700 m asl. Thanks to the field work of the American ecologist Anne LaBastille, its...
  
  , Podilymbus gigas (Lake Atitlán, Guatemala, 1989)

Ciconiiformes

Ciconiiformes

Traditionally, the order Ciconiiformes has included a variety of large, long-legged wading birds with large bills: storks, herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, and several others. Ciconiiformes are known from the Late Eocene...

Heron

Heron

The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....

s and related birds. Possibly paraphyletic.

The "Painted Vulture" (Sarcorhamphus sacra), a Floridian

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 bird supposedly similar to the King Vulture, seems based on a misidentification of the Northern Caracara. See King Vulture

King Vulture

The King Vulture is a large bird found in Central and South America. It is a member of the New World vulture family Cathartidae. This vulture lives predominantly in tropical lowland forests stretching from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, though some believe that William Bartram's Painted...

 article for discussion.

• Bermuda Night Heron
  Bermuda Night Heron
  The Bermuda Night Heron is an extinct heron species from Bermuda. It is sometimes assigned to the genus Nycticorax. It was first described in 2006 by Storrs L. Olson and David B. Wingate from subfossil material found in the Pleistocene and Holocene deposits in caves and ponds of Bermuda...
  
  , Nyctanassa carcinocatactes (Bermuda, West Atlantic, 17th century)

Sometimes assigned to the genus Nycticorax

• Réunion Night Heron
  Réunion Night Heron
  The Réunion Night Heron is an extinct species of heron formerly occurring on the Mascarene island of Réunion.It was for a long time only known from a single description, that of Dubois published in 1674. He speaks of "bitterns" the size of fat chickens which had grey plumage with white...
  
  , Nycticorax duboisi (Réunion, Mascarenes, late 17th century)
• Mauritius Night Heron
  Mauritius Night Heron
  The Mauritius Night Heron is an extinct night heron species from Mauritius. It is only known by seven subfossil bone remains consisted of cranium, pelvis, coracoid, ulna, radius, and tarsometatarsus found in Mare aux Songes. Only the coracoid and the tarsometatarsus are left today...
  
  , Nycticorax mauritianus (Mauritius, Mascarenes, c. 1700)
• Rodrigues Night Heron
  Rodrigues Night Heron
  The Rodrigues Night Heron is an extinct species of heron formerly occurring on the Mascarene island of Rodrigues.It is known from subfossil bones and the 1708 description of Leguat as well as the 1726 report of Julien Tafforet...
  
  , Nycticorax megacephalus (Rodrigues, Mascarenes, mid-18th century)
• Ascension Night Heron
  Ascension Night Heron
  The Ascension Night Heron is an extinct Night heron species from the genus Nycticorax endemic to the South Atlantic island of Ascension...
  
  , Nycticorax olsoni (Ascension Island, Atlantic, late 16th century?)

Known only from subfossil bones, but the description of a flightless Ascension bird by F. André Thevet cannot be identified with anything other than this species.

• New Zealand Little Bittern
  New Zealand Little Bittern
  The New Zealand Little Bittern is an extinct and enigmatic species of heron in the Ardeidae family. It was endemic to New Zealand and was last recorded alive in the 1890s....
  
  , Ixobrychus novaezelandiae (New Zealand, late 19th century)

Long considered to be vagrant individuals of the Australian Little Bittern

Little Bittern

The Little Bittern is a wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, native to the Old World, breeding in Africa, central and southern Europe, western and southern Asia, and Madagascar. Birds from temperate regions in Europe and western Asia are migratory, wintering in Africa and further south in...

, bones recovered from Holocene deposits indicate that this was indeed a distinct taxon, but it might not be a separate species.

• Réunion Sacred Ibis
  Réunion Sacred Ibis
  The Réunion Sacred Ibis, Threskiornis solitarius, is an extinct bird species that was native to the island of Réunion. It is probably the same bird discovered by Portuguese sailors there in 1613...
  
  , Threskiornis solitarius (Réunion, Mascarenes, early 18th century)

This species was the basis of the "Réunion Solitaire", a supposed relative of the Dodo

Dodo

The dodo was a flightless bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Related to pigeons and doves, it stood about a meter tall, weighing about , living on fruit, and nesting on the ground....

 and the Rodrigues Solitaire

Rodrigues Solitaire

The Rodrigues Solitaire was a flightless member of the pigeon order endemic to Rodrigues, Mauritius. It was a close relative of the Dodo.-Discovery:...

. Given the fact that ibis (but no dodo-like) bones were found on Réunion

Réunion

Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...

 and that old descriptions match a flightless Sacred Ibis

Sacred Ibis

The African Sacred Ibis is a species of ibis.-Description:An adult individual is 68 cm long with all-white body plumage apart from dark plumes on the rump. The bald head and neck, thick curved bill and legs are black. The white wings show a black rear border in flight...

 quite well, the "Réunion Solitaire" hypothesis has been refuted.

Pelecaniformes

Pelecaniformes

The Pelecaniformes is a order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such names as totipalmates or steganopodes...

Cormorant

Cormorant

The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...

s and related birds.

• Spectacled Cormorant
  Spectacled Cormorant
  The Spectacled Cormorant or Pallas's Cormorant is an extinct marine bird of the cormorant family of seabirds that inhabited Bering Island and possibly other places in the Komandorski Islands and the nearby coast of Kamchatka...
  
  , Phalacrocorax perspicillatus (Komandorski Islands, North Pacific, c. 1850)

Procellariiformes

Procellariiformes

Procellariiformes is an order of seabirds that comprises four families: the albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, storm petrels, and diving petrels...

Petrel

Petrel

Petrels are tube-nosed seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes. The common name does not indicate relationship beyond that point, as "petrels" occur in three of the four families within that group...

s, shearwater

Shearwater

Shearwaters are medium-sized long-winged seabirds. There are more than 30 species of shearwaters, a few larger ones in the genus Calonectris and many smaller species in the genus Puffinus...

s, albatross

Albatross

Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes . They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific...

es and storm-petrel

Storm-petrel

Storm petrels are seabirds in the family Hydrobatidae, part of the order Procellariiformes. These smallest of seabirds feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.Storm petrels have a cosmopolitan...

s.

• Small Saint Helena Petrel, Bulweria bifax (Saint Helena, Atlantic, early 16th century)
• Bermuda Shearwater, Puffinus parvus (Bermuda
  Bermuda
  Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
  
  , West Atlantic, 16th century)
• Large Saint Helena Petrel, Pseudobulweria rupinarum (Saint Helena, Atlantic, early 16th century)
• Jamaica Petrel
  Jamaica Petrel
  The Jamaica Petrel is a small seabird in the gadfly petrel genus, Pterodroma. It is also known as the Blue Mountain Duck. It is related to the Black-capped Petrel P. hasitata, and often considered a subspecies.This species was last collected in 1879, and was searched for without success between...
  
  , Pterodroma caribbaea (Jamaica, Caribbean)

Possibly a subspecies of the Black-capped Petrel

Black-capped Petrel

The Black-capped Petrel is a small seabird in the gadfly petrel genus, Pterodroma. It is also known as the Diablotín. The extinct Jamaica Petrel was a related dark form, often considered a subspecies of this bird.This long-winged petrel has a grey-brown back and wings, with a white nape and rump...

; unconfirmed reports suggest it might survive. Officially classified as critically endangered, possibly extinct

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

.

• Pterodroma cf. leucoptera (Mangareva
  Mangareva
  Mangareva is the central and most important island of the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia. It is surrounded by smaller islands: Taravai in the southwest, Aukena and Akamaru in the southeast, and islands in the north...
  
  , Gambier Islands
  Gambier Islands
  There was a time when the Gambiers hosted a population of several thousand people and traded with other island groups including the Marquesas, the Society Islands and Pitcairn Islands...
  
  , 20th century?)

A wing of a carcass similar to Gould's Petrel

Gould's Petrel

Gould's Petrel is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae family. It is a small petrel, 30 cm long with a wingspan of about 70 cm. It is largely grey above and white below with a blackish crown and hindneck and a black M-shaped band across the wings and rump.The subspecies P. l...

 was recovered on Mangareva in 1922, where it possibly bred. No such birds are known to exist there today.

• Guadalupe Storm Petrel, Oceanodroma macrodacyla (Guadalupe, East Pacific, 1910s)

Officially critically endangered, possibly extinct

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

, but a thorough survey in 2000 concluded the species was certainly extinct.

Sphenisciformes

Penguins

• The Chatham Islands Penguin
  Chatham Islands Penguin
  The Chatham Penguin or Chatham Islands Penguin was a species of penguin, now extinct. It is known only from subfossil bones, but may have become extinct as recently as the late 19th century as a bird kept captive at some time between 1867 and 1872 might refer to this taxon. It appears to have been...
  
  , Eudyptes sp. (Chatham Islands, SW Pacific), is only known from subfossil bones, but a bird kept captive at some time between 1867 and 1872 might refer to this taxon.

Columbiformes

Columbiformes

Columbiformes are an avian order that includes the very widespread and successful doves and pigeons, classified in the family Columbidae, and the extinct Dodo and the Rodrigues Solitaire, long classified as a second family Raphidae. 313 species, found worldwide, comprise the Columbiformes order....

Pigeons, doves and dodo

Dodo

The dodo was a flightless bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Related to pigeons and doves, it stood about a meter tall, weighing about , living on fruit, and nesting on the ground....

s.

For the "Réunion Solitaire", see Réunion Sacred Ibis

Réunion Sacred Ibis

The Réunion Sacred Ibis, Threskiornis solitarius, is an extinct bird species that was native to the island of Réunion. It is probably the same bird discovered by Portuguese sailors there in 1613...

.

• Saint Helena Dove, Dysmoropelia dekarchiskos, possibly survived into the Modern Era.
• Passenger Pigeon
  Passenger Pigeon
  The Passenger Pigeon or Wild Pigeon was a bird, now extinct, that existed in North America and lived in enormous migratory flocks until the early 20th century...
  
  , Ectopistes migratorius (Eastern North America, 1914)

The passenger pigeon was once probably the most common bird in the world, a single flock numbering up to 2.2 billion birds. It was hunted close to extinction for food and sport in the late 19th century. The last individual died in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914.

• Bonin Woodpigeon, Columba versicolor (Nakodo-jima and Chichi-jima, Ogasawara Islands, c. 1890)
• Ryukyu Woodpigeon, Columba jouyi (Okinawa and Daito Islands, Northwest Pacific, late 1930s)
• Réunion Pink Pigeon
  Réunion Pink Pigeon
  The Réunion Pink Pigeon is an extinct species of pigeon that formerly lived on the Mascarene island of Réunion. It is known from the description of a rusty-red pigeon given by Dubois in 1674 and a single subfossil humerus that agrees with that of the Pink Pigeon of Mauritius in generic...
  
  , Nesoenas duboisi (Réunion, Mascarenes, c. 1700)

Formerly in Streptopelia. There seems to have been at least another species of pigeon on Réunion (probably an Alectroenas), but bones have not yet been found. It disappeared at the same time.

• Rodrigues Turtle-dove, Nesoenas rodericana (Rodrigues, Mascarenes, before 1690?)

Formerly in Streptopelia. A possible subspecies of the Madagascar Turtle Dove (N. picturata), this seems not to be the bird observed by Leguat

François Leguat

François Leguat was a French explorer and naturalist.Leguat was a French Huguenot originating from the Province of Bresse, now part of the department of Ain, who fled to Holland in 1689 after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685...

. Introduced rats might have killed it off in the late 17th century.

• Liverpool Pigeon
  Liverpool Pigeon
  The Liverpool Pigeon or Spotted Green Pigeon is a presumed extinct pigeon species from an unknown provenance.-Description:...
  
  , "Caloenas" maculata

Also known as the Spotted Green Pigeon, the only known specimen has been in Liverpool

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

 Museum since 1851 and was probably collected on a Pacific island for Edward Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby. It has been suggested that this bird came from Tahiti

Tahiti

Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...

 based on native lore about a somewhat similar extinct bird called titi, but this has not been verified.

• Sulu Bleeding-heart
  Sulu Bleeding-heart
  The Sulu Bleeding-heart is one of a number of species of ground doves in the genus Gallicolumba that are called "bleeding-hearts". They get this name from a splash of vivid red colour at the centre of their white breasts...
  
  , Gallicolumba menagei (Tawitawi, Philippines, late 1990s?)

Officially listed as critically endangered

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

. Only known from 2 specimens taken in 1891, there have been a number of unconfirmed reports from all over the Sulu Archipelago

Sulu Archipelago

The Sulu Archipelago is a chain of islands in the southwestern Philippines. This archipelago is considered to be part of the Moroland by the local rebel independence movement. This island group forms the northern limit of the Celebes Sea....

 in 1995. However, these reports stated that the bird had suddenly undergone a massive decline, and by now, habitat destruction is almost complete. If not extinct, this species is very rare, but the ongoing civil war

Moro Islamic Liberation Front

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front is an Islamist group located in the southern Philippines. It is one of two Islamic militant groups, the other being the Abu Sayyaf, that are fighting against Government of the Philippines...

 prevents comprehensive surveys.

• Norfolk Island Ground-dove
  Norfolk Island Ground-dove
  The Norfolk Ground Dove was a species of bird in the Columbidae, or pigeon family.It was endemic to Norfolk Island, but became extinct due to introduced predators, disappearing within a few decades after European settlement in the late 18th century.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . ...
  
  , Gallicolumba norfolciensis (Norfolk Island, Southwest Pacific, c. 1800)
• Tanna Ground-dove, Gallicolumba ferruginea (Tanna, Vanuatu, late 18th-19th century)

Only known from descriptions of 2 now-lost specimens.

• Thick-billed Ground-dove, Gallicolumba salamonis (Makira and Ramos, Solomon Islands, mid-20th century?)

Last recorded in 1927, only 2 specimens exist. Declared extinct in 2005.

• Choiseul Crested Pigeon
  Choiseul Crested Pigeon
  The Choiseul Crested Pigeon is a presumedly extinct pigeon which was only known on the Solomon island of Choiseul in the Pacific. This species was first described by Walter Rothschild in 1904 and named in honour of Albert Stewart Meek. The Choiseul islanders called that species kukuru-ni-lua which...
  
  , Microgoura meeki (Choiseul, Solomon Islands, early 20th century)
• Red-moustached Fruit-dove
  Red-moustached Fruit-dove
  The Moustached Fruit Dove was a species of bird in the Columbidae family.It was endemic to French Polynesia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 24 July 2007....
  
  , Ptilinopus mercierii (Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa, Marquesas, mid-20th century)

Two subspecies, the little-known P. m. mercierii of Nuku Hiva (extinct mid-late 19th century) and P. m. tristrami of Hiva Oa.

• Negros Fruit-dove
  Negros Fruit-dove
  The Negros Fruit Dove is a species of bird in the Columbidae family. It is endemic to the Philippines.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss. In fact, there have been no recorded sightings of it since 1953; it may or may not be...
  
  , Ptilinopus arcanus (Negros, Philippines, late 20th century?)

Known only from one specimen taken at the only documented sighting in 1953, the validity of this species has been questioned, but no good alternative to distinct species status has been proposed. Officially critically endangered

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

, it might occur on Panay, but no survey has located it. One possible record in 2002 seems not to have been followed up.

• Mauritius Blue Pigeon
  Mauritius Blue Pigeon
  The Mauritius Blue Pigeon or Pigeon Hollandais is an extinct species of pigeon formerly endemic to Mauritius...
  
  , Alectroenas nitidissima (Mauritius, Mascarenes, c. 1830s)
• Farquhar Blue Pigeon, Alectroenas sp. (Farquhar Group, Seychelles, 19th century)

Only known from early reports; possibly a subspecies of the Comoro or Seychelles Blue Pigeon

Seychelles Blue Pigeon

The Seychelles Blue Pigeon is a medium-sized pigeon which inhabits woodland areas of the granitic Seychelles archipelago....

.

• Rodrigues Grey Pigeon
  Rodrigues Grey Pigeon
  The Rodrigues Grey Pigeon is an extinct species of pigeon formerly endemic to the Mascarene island of Rodrigues. It is known from a subfossil sternum and some other bones, and the descriptions of Leguat and Julien Tafforet . It was a bird the size of a Tambourine Dove and colored slate grey...
  
  , "Alectroenas" rodericana (Rodrigues, Mascarenes, mid-18th century)

A mysterious bird of unknown affinities, known from a few bones and, as it seems, two historical reports.

• Dodo
  Dodo
  The dodo was a flightless bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Related to pigeons and doves, it stood about a meter tall, weighing about , living on fruit, and nesting on the ground....
  
  , Raphus cucullatus (Mauritius, Mascarenes, late 17th century)

Called Didus ineptus by Linnaeus

Carolus Linnaeus

Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...

. A meter-high flightless bird found on Mauritius

Mauritius

Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...

. Its forest habitat was lost when Dutch settlers moved to the island and the dodo's nests were destroyed by the monkeys, pigs, and cats the Dutch brought with them. The last specimen was killed in 1681, only 80 years after the arrival of the new predators.

• Rodrigues Solitaire
  Rodrigues Solitaire
  The Rodrigues Solitaire was a flightless member of the pigeon order endemic to Rodrigues, Mauritius. It was a close relative of the Dodo.-Discovery:...
  
  , Pezophaps solitaria (Rodrigues, Mascarenes, c. 1730)

Psittaciformes

Parrot

Parrot

Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...

s.

• New Caledonian Lorikeet
  New Caledonian Lorikeet
  The New Caledonian Lorikeet Charmosyna diadema is a potentially extinct lorikeet endemic to the Melanesian island of New Caledonia.-Description:...
  
  , Charmosyna diadema (New Caledonia, Melanesia, mid-20th century?)

Officially critically endangered

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

, there have been no reliable reports of this bird since the early 20th century. It is, however, small and inconspicuous.

• Norfolk Kaka, Nestor productus (Norfolk and Philip Islands, SW Pacific, 1851?)
• Society Parakeet
  Society Parakeet
  The Society Parakeet is an extinct parakeet of the genus Cyanoramphus.-Description:It reached a length of 25 cm. Its head was chocolate brown. The bill showed a pale bluish grey hue and had a black tip. The back and the wings were coloured brown. The lower back and the tail exhibited a...
  
  , Cyanoramphus ulietanus (Raiatea, Society Islands, late 18th century)
• Black-fronted Parakeet
  Black-fronted Parakeet
  The extinct Black-fronted Parakeet or Tahiti Parakeet was endemic to the Pacific island of Tahiti. Its native name was simply ’ā’ā according to Latham though White gives "aa-maha"....
  
  , Cyanoramphus zealandicus (Tahiti, Society Islands, c. 1850)
• Paradise Parrot
  Paradise Parrot
  The Paradise Parrot was a colourful medium-sized parrot native to the grassy woodlands of the Queensland - New South Wales border area of northeastern Australia. Once moderately common within its fairly restricted range, the last live bird was seen in 1927...
  
  , Psephotus pulcherrimus (Rockhampton area, Australia, late 1920s)
• The Oceanic Eclectus Parrot
  Oceanic Eclectus Parrot
  The Oceanic Eclectus Parrot is an extinct parrot species which occurred on Tonga, Vanuatu and possibly on Fiji. The only living relative in the genus is the Eclectus Parrot which has proportionally larger wings than the Oceanic Eclectus Parrot...
  
  , Eclectus infectus, known from subfossil bones found on Tonga, Vanuatu, and possibly Fiji, may have survived until the 18th century: a bird which seems to be a male Eclectus parrot was drawn in a report on the Tongan island of Vavaʻu
  Vava'u
  Vavau is an island chain of one large island and 40 smaller ones in Tonga. According to tradition Maui fished both Tongatapu and Vavau but put a little more effort into the former. Vavau rises 204 meters above sea level...
  
   by the Malaspina
  Alessandro Malaspina
  Alessandro Malaspina was an Italian nobleman who spent most of his life as a Spanish naval officer and explorer...
  
   expedition. Also a 19th century Tongan name ʻāʻā ("parrot") for "a beautiful bird found only at ʻEua
  'Eua
  Eua is a smaller but still major island in the kingdom of Tonga. It is close to Tongatapu, but forms a separate administrative division. It has an area of 87.44 km2, and a population in 2006 of 5,165 people.- Geography :...
  
  " is attested (see here under "Kaka"). This seems to refer either E. infectus which in Tonga is only known from Vavaʻu and ʻEua, or the extirpated population of the Collared Lory
  Collared Lory
  The Collared Lory is a monotypic species of parrot in the Psittacidae family, and it is the only species in the genus Phigys. It is endemic to the islands of Fiji. It is the only Fijian rainforest bird to adapt to urban landscapes and can be found in urban Suva...
  
   which also occurred there. It is possible but unlikely that the species survived on ʻEua until the 19th century.

• Seychelles Parakeet
  Seychelles Parakeet
  The Seychelles Parakeet occurred in the Indian ocean islands of the Seychelles group. It resembled the Alexandrine Parakeet but was smaller and lacked the pink colour in its collar...
  
  , Psittacula wardi (Seychelles, W Indian Ocean, 1883)
• Newton's Parakeet
  Newton's Parakeet
  The Newton's Parakeet was a parrot that was endemic to the forests of the island of Rodrigues, a dependency of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean...
  
  , Psittacula exsul (Rodrigues, Mascarenes, c. 1875)
• Thirioux's Grey Parrot, Psittacula bensoni (Mauritius, possible Réunion as Psittacula cf bensoni). Formerly described as Mauritius Grey Parrot, Lophopsittacus bensoni. Known from a 1602 sketch by Captain Willem van Westzanen and by subfossil bones described by David Thomas Holyoak in 1973. Might have survived to the mid-18th century.
• Mascarene Parrot
  Mascarene Parrot
  The Mascarene Parrot is an extinct species of parrot known from bones, specimens and descriptions to have occurred in the Mascarene island of Réunion, and possibly Mauritius. The bird was first described by Dubois in 1674...
  
  , Mascarinus mascarinus (Réunion and possibly Mauritius, Mascarenes, 1834?)

Last known individual was a captive bird which was alive before 1834.

• Broad-billed Parrot
  Broad-billed Parrot
  The Broad-billed Parrot was a parrot endemic to the island of Mauritius that became extinct.-Description:...
  
  , Lophopsittacus mauritianus (Mauritius, Mascarenes, 1680?)

May have survived to the late 18th century.

• Rodrigues Parrot
  Rodrigues Parrot
  The Rodrigues Parrot is an extinct species of parrot which once lived on the Mascarene island of Rodrigues. It is known from subfossil bones and the 1708 description of Leguat as well as the 1726 report of Julien Tafforet...
  
  , Necropsittacus rodericanus (Rodrigues, Mascarenes, late 18th century)

The species N. francicus is fictional, N. borbonicus most likely so.

• Glaucous Macaw
  Glaucous Macaw
  The Glaucous Macaw, Anodorhynchus glaucus, is a large South American parrot. This macaw is critically endangered or possibly extinct. It is closely related to the Lear's Macaw A. leari and the Hyacinth Macaw A. hyacinthinus. In Guaraní, it was called guaa-obi after its...
  
  , Anodorhynchus glaucus (N Argentina, early 20th century)

Officially critically endangered

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

 due to persistent rumours of wild birds, but probably extinct.

• Cuban Red Macaw
  Cuban Red Macaw
  The Cuban Red Macaw, Ara tricolor, is an extinct species of parrot that was native to Cuba and the Isla de la Juventud, an island off the coast of west Cuba. At about long it was one of the smaller members of the Ara genus of macaws. It was the last species of macaw native to the Caribbean...
  
  , Ara tricolor (Cuba, West Indies, late 19th century)

A number of related species have been described from the West Indies, but are not based on good evidence. Several prehistoric forms are now known to have existed in the region, however.

• Carolina Parakeet
  Carolina Parakeet
  The Carolina Parakeet was the only parrot species native to the eastern United States. It was found from the Ohio Valley to the Gulf of Mexico, and lived in old forests along rivers. It was the only species at the time classified in the genus Conuropsis...
  
  , Conuropsis carolinensis (SE North America, c. 1930?)

Although the date of the last captive bird's death in the Cincinnati Zoo, 1918, is generally given as extinction date, there are convincing reports of some wild populations persisting until later. Two subspecies, C. c. carolinensis (east and south of the Appalachian range– extinct 1918 or c. 1930) and C. c. ludovicianus (Louisiana Parakeet, west of the Appalachian range– extinct early 1910s).

• Guadeloupe Parakeet
  Guadeloupe Parakeet
  The Guadeloupe Parakeet might have been a species of parrot that was endemic to Guadeloupe.Jean-Baptiste Labat described a population of small parrots living on Guadeloupe, which have been postulated to be a separate species based on little evidence. They were called Conurus labati, and are now...
  
  , Aratinga labati (Guadeloupe, West Indies, late 18th century)

Only known from descriptions, the former existence of this bird is likely for biogeographic reasons and because details as described cannot be referred to known species.

• Martinique Amazon
  Martinique Amazon
  The Martinique Amazon, Amazona martinicana, was a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family. It was endemic to Martinique. It became extinct due to habitat loss as Martinique was cleared for agriculture. It has not been recorded since 1722...
  
  , Amazona martinica (Martinique, West Indies, mid-18th century)
• Guadeloupe Amazon
  Guadeloupe Amazon
  The Guadeloupe Parrot was a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family. It was endemic to Guadeloupe. It was hunted, and by 1779 was already rare. Today it is extinct....
  
  , Amazona violacea (Guadeloupe, West Indies, mid-18th century)

The extinct amazon parrots were originally described after travelers' descriptions. Both are now considered valid extinct species closely related to the Imperial Amazon.

Cuculiformes

Cuculiformes

The near passerine bird order Cuculiformes traditionally included three families as below:* Musophagidae - turacos and allies* Cuculidae - cuckoos, coucals, roadrunners and anis* Opisthocomidae - Hoatzin...

Cuckoo

Cuckoo

The cuckoos are a family, Cuculidae, of near passerine birds. The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos . Some zoologists and taxonomists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, but its taxonomy remains in dispute...

s.

• Delalande's Coua
  Delalande's Coua
  Delalande's Coua , also known as Snail-eating Coua and Delalande's Coucal, is an extinct species of non-parasitic cuckoo from Madagascar. It only was known to science as an extant bird for a very short time in the early 19th century...
  
  , Coua delalandei (Madagascar, late 19th century?)
• Saint Helena Cuckoo, Nannococcyx psix (Saint Helena, Atlantic, 18th century)

Falconiformes

Falconiformes

The order Falconiformes is a group of about 290 species of birds that comprises the diurnal birds of prey. Raptor classification is difficult and the order is treated in several ways.- Classification problems :...

Birds of prey

Bird of prey

Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....

.

• Guadalupe Caracara
  Guadalupe Caracara
  The Guadalupe Caracara, Caracara lutosa, is an extinct bird of prey belonging to the falcon family . It was, together with the closely related Crested and Southern Caracara, formerly placed in the genus Polyborus. It was also known as the Quelili or the Calalie.This species inhabited Mexico's...
  
  , Polyborus lutosus (Guadelupe, E Pacific, 1900 or 1903)
• Réunion Kestrel
  Réunion Kestrel
  The Réunion Kestrel is an extinct bird of prey which belongs to the falcon family. It inhabited the Mascarene island of Réunion and was part of the Western Indian Ocean radiation of kestrels....
  
  , Falco duboisi (Réunion, Mascarenes, c. 1700)

Strigiformes

Typical owl

Typical owl

True owl or Typical owl are one of the two generally accepted families of Owls, the other being the barn owls . The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy unites the Caprimulgiformes with the owl order; here, the typical owls are a subfamily Strigidae...

s and barn-owls.

• Réunion Owl
  Réunion Owl
  The Réunion Owl was a small owl that occurred on the Mascarene island of Réunion, but became extinct before living birds could be described; it is only known from subfossil bones. It belongs to the Mascarene owls of the genus Mascarenotus, and most likely was similar to a Long-eared Owl in size...
  
  , Mascarenotus grucheti (Réunion, Mascarenes, late 17th century?)
• Mauritius Owl
  Mauritius Owl
  The extinct Mauritius Owl , also called Commerson's, Sauzier's or Newton's Owl, was endemic to the Mascarene island of Mauritius...
  
  , Mascarenotus sauzieri (Mauritius, Mascarenes, c. 1850)
• Rodrigues Owl
  Rodrigues Owl
  The Rodrigues Owl , also known as Leguat's Owl or Rodrigues Little Owl, was a small owl. It lived on the Mascarene island of Rodrigues, but it is nowadays extinct. It is part of the genus of Mascarene owls, Mascarenotus...
  
  , Mascarenotus murivorus (Rodrigues, Mascarenes, mid-18th century)

The preceding two species were variously placed in Bubo, Athene, "Scops" (=Otus), Strix, and Tyto before their true affinity was realized.

• New Caledonian Boobook, Ninox cf. novaeseelandiae (New Caledonia, Melanesia)

Known only from prehistoric bones, but might still survive.

• Laughing Owl
  Laughing Owl
  The Laughing Owl , also known as Whēkau or the White-faced Owl, was an endemic owl found in New Zealand, but is now extinct. It was plentiful when European settlers arrived in New Zealand in 1840. Specimens were sent to the British Museum, where a scientific description was published in 1845...
  
  , Sceloglaux albifacies (New Zealand, 1914?)

Two subspecies, S. a. albifacies (South Island and Stewart Island, extinct 1914?) and S. a. rufifacies (North Island, extinct c. 1870s?)– circumstantial evidence suggests small remnants survived until the early/mid-20th century.

• New Caledonian Boobook, Ninox cf. novaeseelandiae (New Caledonia, Melanesia)
• The Puerto Rican Barn Owl, Tyto cavatica, known from prehistoric remains found in caves of Puerto Rico, West Indies, may still have existed in 1912 given reports of the presence of cave-roosting owls.
• The Bahaman Barn Owl, Tyto pollens, known from prehistoric remains found on Andros (Bahamas), may have survived to the 16th century as indicated by the "Chickcharnie" legend.
• Siau Scops Owl
  Siau Scops Owl
  The Siau Scops Owl, Otus manadensis siaoensis is a critically endangered owl and may be extinct. They live on Siau Island, north of Sulawesi, Indonesia and are forest dwellers. The species is only known from a single holotype from 1866 although there have been some local reports in recent years...
  
   Otus siaoensis (20th century?)

Only known from the holotype collected in 1866. Endemic to the small volcanic island of Siau north of Sulawesi

Sulawesi

Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...

 in Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

. Might still survive as there are ongoing rumours of scops-owls at Siau.

Caprimulgiformes

Caprimulgiformes

The Caprimulgiformes is an order of birds that includes a number of birds with global distribution . They are generally insectivorous and nocturnal...

Caprimulgidae - Nightjars and nighthawks.

Reclusive ground-nesting birds that sally out at night to hunt for large insects and similar prey. They are easily located by the males' song, but this is not given all year. Habitat destruction represents currently the biggest threat, while island populations are threatened by introduced mammalian predators, notably dogs, cats, pigs and mongoose.

• Jamaican Poorwill, Siphonorhis americana (Jamaica, West Indies, late 19th century?)

Reports of unidentifiable nightjars from the 1980s in habitat appropriate for S. americana suggest that this cryptic species may still exist. Research into this possibility is currently underway; pending further information, it is classified as critically endangered, possibly extinct

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

.

• Cuban Pauraque, Siphonorhis daiquiri (Cuba, West Indies, prehistoric?)

Described from subfossil

Subfossil

Subfossil refers to remains whose fossilization process is not complete, either for lack of time or because the conditions in which they were buried were not optimal for fossilization....

 bones in 1985. There are persistent rumors that this bird, which was never seen alive by scientists, may still survive. Compare Puerto Rican Nightjar

Puerto Rican Nightjar

The Puerto Rican Nightjar, Caprimulgus noctitherus, is a very rare bird found in the coastal dry scrub forests in localized areas of southwestern Puerto Rico....

 and preceding.

Vaurie's Nightjar

Vaurie's Nightjar

The Vaurie's Nightjar is a species of nightjar in the Caprimulgidae family.It is endemic to China.Its natural habitat is cold desert.It is threatened by habitat loss....

 (Caprimulgus centralasicus) is only known from a single 1929 specimen from Xinjiang

Xinjiang

Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...

, China. It has never been found again, but the validity of this supposed species is seriously disputed. It was never refuted to be an immature female desert European Nightjar

European Nightjar

The European Nightjar, or just Nightjar, Caprimulgus europaeus, is the only representative of the nightjar family of birds in most of Europe and temperate Asia.- Habitat and distribution :...

.

Apodiformes

Apodiformes

Traditionally, the bird order Apodiformes contained three living families: the swifts , the tree swifts , and the hummingbirds . In the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, this order is raised to a superorder Apodimorphae in which hummingbirds are separated as a new order, Trochiliformes...

Swift

Swift

The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are actually not closely related to passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with hummingbirds...

s and hummingbird

Hummingbird

Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...

s.

• Coppery Thorntail
  Coppery Thorntail
  Letitia's Thorntail , also known as the Coppery Thorntail, is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. It is only known from two old male specimens from Bolivia...
  
  , Discosura letitiae (Bolivia?)

Known only from 3 trade specimens of unknown origin. Might still exist.

• Brace's Emerald
  Brace's Emerald
  Brace's Emerald is an extinct species of hummingbird which was endemic to the main island of the Bahamas, New Providence.-Description:...
  
  , Chlorostilbon bracei (New Providence, Bahamas, late 19th century)
• Gould's Emerald
  Gould's Emerald
  The Gould's Emerald is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. It was described based on a single specimen of unknown origin, but Jamaica or the Bahamas are likely. Except for the type specimen, there are no records, and it is presumed extinct.-Source:* BirdLife International 2004. . ...
  
  , Chlorostilbon elegans (Jamaica or northern Bahamas, West Indies, late 19th century)
• Bogota Sunangel
  Bogota Sunangel
  The Bogotá Sunangel is a species of hummingbird that is only known from one specimen. The hummingbird is a bright purple with black flight feathers and a bright green chin and crown. This bird has only been found in Colombia and is assumed to live in cloud forest between 1200 and 3400 meters...
  
  , Heliangelus zusii (Colombia?)

A mysterious bird known only from a single specimen of unknown origin. Long considered as hybrid but confirmed as valid species in 2009 through a DNA analysis.

• Turquoise-throated Puffleg
  Turquoise-throated Puffleg
  The Turquoise-throated Puffleg , also known as Godin's Puffleg, is a possibly extinct hummingbird from Ecuador and Colombia.-Description:...
  
  , Eriocnemis godini (Ecuador, 20th century?)

Officially classified as critically endangered, possibly extinct

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

. Known only from 6 pre-1900 specimens, the habitat at the only known site where it occurred has been destroyed. However, the bird's distribution remains unresolved.

Coraciiformes

Coraciiformes

The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colorful near passerine birds including the kingfishers, the Hoopoe, the bee-eaters, the rollers, and the hornbills...

Kingfisher

Kingfisher

Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...

s and related birds.

• Ryūkyū Kingfisher
  Ryukyu Kingfisher
  The Ryukyu Kingfisher is an enigmatic taxon of tree kingfisher. It is extinct and was only ever known from a single specimen. Its taxonomic status is doubtful; it is most likely a subspecies of the Micronesian Kingfisher, which would make its scientific name Todiramphus cinnamomina miyakoensis...
  
  , Todiramphus (cinnamominus) miyakoensis (Miyako-jima, Ryukyu Islands, late 19th century)

This was probably a subspecies of the Micronesian Kingfisher

Micronesian Kingfisher

The Micronesian Kingfisher, Todiramphus cinnamominus, is a species of kingfisher from the Pacific Islands of Guam, Pohnpei and Palau...

 Todiramphus cinnamominus. Only seen once by scientists, in 1887; the specimen taken is somewhat damaged, making identification by other than molecular analysis difficult.

• Giant Hoopoe
  Giant Hoopoe
  The Giant Hoopoe , also known as Saint Helena Giant Hoopoe or Saint Helena Hoopoe, is an extinct species of Hoopoe , known exclusively from an incomplete subfossil skeleton....
  
  , Upupa antaois (Saint Helena, Atlantic, early 16th century)

Piciformes

Piciformes

Nine families of largely arboreal birds make up the order Piciformes, the best-known of them being the Picidae, which includes the woodpeckers and close relatives...

Woodpecker

Woodpecker

Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....

s and related birds.

• Imperial Woodpecker
  Imperial Woodpecker
  The Imperial Woodpecker is – or was – a member of the woodpecker family Picidae. If it is not extinct, it is the world's largest woodpecker species at 56-60 cm long...
  
  , Campephilus imperialis (Mexico, late 20th century)

This 60-centimeter-long woodpecker is officially listed as critically endangered, possibly extinct

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

. Occasional unconfirmed reports come up, the most recent in late 2005.

• The Ivory-billed Woodpecker
  Ivory-billed Woodpecker
  The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is or was one of the largest woodpeckers in the world, at roughly 20 inches in length and 30 inches in wingspan. It was native to the virgin forests of the southeastern United States...
  
   (Campephilus principalis principalis) is most likely extinct, but there is uncertainty on whether it was or was not rediscovered in the White River National Wildlife Refuge
  White River National Wildlife Refuge
  The White River National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife refuge located in Desha, Monroe, Phillips, and Arkansas counties in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The refuge is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service....
  
   of Arkansas
  Arkansas
  Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
  
   in 2004, as intensive searching in the five following years has failed to confirm its survival. The Cuban Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis bairdii) was last seen in 1987 and is generally considered extinct, but there are a few patches of habitat not yet surveyed.

Passeriformes

Perching birds.
Acanthisittidae– New Zealand "wrens"

• Stephens Island Wren
  Stephens Island Wren
  The Stephens Island Wren or Lyall's Wren was a nocturnal, flightless, insectivorous passerine.-Habitat:...
  
  , Xenicus lyalli (New Zealand, 1895?)

The species famously (but erroneously) claimed to have been made extinct by a single cat named "Tibbles".

• Bush Wren
  Bush Wren
  The Bushwren , Bush Wren, or Mātuhituhi in Maori, was a very small and almost flightless bird endemic to New Zealand. It grew to about 9 cm long and 16 g in weight. It fed mostly on invertebrates which it captured by running along the branches of trees...
  
  , Xenicus longipes (New Zealand, 1972)

3 subspecies: X. l. stokesi (North Island, extinct 1955); X. l. longipes (South Island, extinct 1968); X. l. variabilis (Stewart Island, extinct 1972).

Formicariidae

Formicariidae

The Formicariidae, formicariids, or ground antbirds are a family of smallish passerine birds of subtropical and tropical Central and South America. They are between 10 and 20 cm in length, and are related to the antbirds, Thamnophilidae, and gnateaters, Conopophagidae...

– antpittas and antthrushes

• Táchira Antpitta
  Táchira Antpitta
  The Táchira Antpitta is a cryptical bird species. It is provisionally placed in the family Formicariidae, pending revision of this group. This species was only sighted and collected between 1955 and 1956, and may be extinct....
  
  , Grallaria chthonia (Venezuela, late 20th century?)

Officially Critically Endangered

Critically Endangered

Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. Critically Endangered means that a species' numbers have decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations....

, this species has not been recorded since 1956 and although some habitat still exists, it was not found in dedicated searches in the 1990s. Nevertheless, its voice – generally the primary mean for locating antpittas – remains unknown, making surveys difficult.

Mohoidae

Mohoidae

Mohoidae is a family of Hawaiian species of recently extinct, nectarivorous songbirds in the genera Moho and Chaetoptila . These now extinct birds form their own family, representing the only complete extinction of an entire avian family in modern times, when the disputed family Turnagridae is...

– Hawaiian "honeyeaters". Family established in 2008, previously in Meliphagidae.

• Kioea
  Kioea
  The Kioea was a Hawaiian bird that became extinct around 1859. The kioea was in decline even before the discovery of Hawaii by Europeans. Even native Hawaiians are seemingly unfamiliar with this bird. The feathers of the kioea were not used in Hawaiian featherwork, nor is it mentioned in any...
  
  , Chaetoptila angustipluma (Big Island, Hawaiian Islands, 1860s)
• Hawaiʻi ʻŌʻō, Moho nobilis (Big Island, Hawaiian Islands, 1930s)
• Oʻahu ʻŌʻō, Moho apicalis (Oʻahu, Hawaiian Islands, mid-19th century)
• Molokaʻi ʻŌʻō, Moho bishopi (Molokaʻi and probably Maui, Hawaiian Islands, c. 1910 or 1980s)
• Kauaʻi ʻŌʻō, Moho braccatus (Kauaʻi, Hawaiian Islands, 1987)

Meliphagidae – honeyeaters and Australian chats

• Chatham Island Bellbird
  Chatham Island Bellbird
  The Chatham Island Bellbird is an extinct species of bird in the Meliphagidae family. It was endemic to the Chatham Islands....
  
  , Anthornis melanocephala (Chatham Islands, Southwest Pacific, c. 1910)

Sometimes regarded as subspecies of the New Zealand Bellbird

New Zealand Bellbird

The New Zealand Bellbird , also known by its Māori names Korimako or Makomako, is a passerine bird endemic to New Zealand. It has greenish colouration and is the only living member of the genus Anthornis. The bellbird forms a significant component of the famed New Zealand dawn chorus of bird song...

, Anthornis melanura. Unconfirmed records exist from the early-mid 1950s.

The identity of "Strigiceps leucopogon" (an invalid name ), described by Lesson in 1840, is unclear. Apart from the Holotype supposedly from "New Holland

New Holland (Australia)

New Holland is a historic name for the island continent of Australia. The name was first applied to Australia in 1644 by the Dutch seafarer Abel Tasman as Nova Hollandia, naming it after the Dutch province of Holland, and remained in use for 180 years....

", a second specimen from the "Himalaya" may have existed (or still exist). Lesson tentatively allied it to the Meliphagidae, and Rothschild felt reminded of the Kioea

Kioea

The Kioea was a Hawaiian bird that became extinct around 1859. The kioea was in decline even before the discovery of Hawaii by Europeans. Even native Hawaiians are seemingly unfamiliar with this bird. The feathers of the kioea were not used in Hawaiian featherwork, nor is it mentioned in any...

.

Acanthizidae

Acanthizidae

The Acanthizidae, also known as the Australasian warblers, are a family of passerine birds which include gerygones, thornbills, and scrubwrens. The Acanthizidae consists of small to medium passerine birds, with a total length varying between 8 and 19 cm. They have short rounded wings, slender...

– scrubwrens, thornbills, and gerygones

• Lord Howe Gerygone
  Lord Howe Gerygone
  The Lord Howe Gerygone , also known as the Lord Howe Island Flyeater or, locally, as the "Rain-bird" or "Pop-goes-the-weasel", was a small bird in the Acanthizidae family which was endemic to Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea, part of New South Wales, Australia...
  
  , Gerygone insularis (Lord Howe Island, Southwest Pacific, c. 1930)

Pachycephalidae

Pachycephalidae

The family Pachycephalidae, collectively the whistlers, includes the whistlers, shrike-thrushes, shrike-tits, pitohuis and Crested Bellbird, and is part of the ancient Australo-Papuan radiation of songbirds. Its members range from small to medium in size, and occupy most of Australasia...

– whistlers, shrike-thrushes, pitohuis and allies

• Mangarevan Whistler, ?Pachycephala gambierana (Mangareva, Gambier Islands, late 19th century?)

Tentatively placed here. A mysterious bird of which no specimen exists today. It was initially described as a shrike, then classified as an Eopsalteria "robin", and may actually be an Acrocephalus warbler.

Dicruridae – monarch flycatchers and allies

• Maupiti Monarch
  Maupiti Monarch
  The Maupiti Monarch was a species of bird in the Monarchidae family.It was endemic to French Polynesia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 26 July 2007....
  
  , Pomarea pomarea (Maupiti, Society Islands, mid-19th century)
• Eiao Monarch
  Eiao Monarch
  The Eiao Monarch was a species of bird in the Monarchidae family. The species is sometimes considered to have been conspecific with the Iphis MonarchIt was endemic to French Polynesia....
  
  , Pomarea fluxa (Eiao, Marquesas, late 1970s)

Previously considered a subspecies of the Iphis Monarch

Iphis Monarch

The Iphis Monarch is a species of bird in the Monarchidae family. It is endemic to French Polynesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, and plantations.-References:* BirdLife...

, this is an early offspring of the Marquesan stock.

• Nuku Hiva Monarch
  Nuku Hiva Monarch
  The Nuku Hiva Monarch was a species of bird in the Monarchidae family.It was endemic to French Polynesia.Its natural habitats were subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montanes, and heavily degraded former forest.It became extinct due to habitat...
  
  , Pomarea nukuhivae (Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, mid-late 20th century)

Previously considered a subspecies of the Marquesas Monarch, this is another early offspring of the Marquesan stock.

• Ua Pou Monarch
  Ua Pou Monarch
  The Ua Pou Monarch was a species of bird in the Monarchidae family.It was endemic to French Polynesia.Its natural habitats were subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montanes, and heavily degraded former forest.It became extinct due to habitat...
  
  , Pomarea mira (Ua Pou, Marquesas, c. 1986)

Previously considered another subspecies of the Marquesas Monarch, this was a distinct species most closely related to that bird and the Fatuhiva Monarch

Fatuhiva Monarch

The Fatuhiva Monarch is a large flycatcher. It is endemic to Fatu Hiva in the Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia.It is critically endangered, with an estimated population of less than 1,000....

.

• Guam Flycatcher
  Guam Flycatcher
  The Guam Flycatcher or Guam Broadbill was a species of bird in the Monarchidae family. It was endemic to Guam, where it was known locally as the chuguangguang...
  
  , Myiagra freycineti (Guam, Marianas, 1983)

Vangidae – vangas

• Short-toed Nuthatch Vanga, Hypositta perdita (Madagascar, mid-20th century?)

An enigmatic bird known only from 2 recently fledged juveniles collected in 1931, it was not found during a thorough search in 1996.

†Turnagridae

Turnagridae

The Turnagridae or piopio are a pair of passerine birds endemic to New Zealand, both of which are now considered extinct. Sometimes described as New Zealand Thrushes, the Piopio had only a coincidental, passing resemblance to the Thrush family. Piopio have been a longstanding taxonomic mystery...

– piopios

• North Island Piopio
  North Island Piopio
  The North Island Piopio, Turnagra tanagra, was a passerine bird of the Turnagridae family. The North Island Piopio is now considered to be extinct...
  
  , Turnagra tanagra (North Island, New Zealand, c. 1970?)

Not reliably recorded since about 1900.

• South Island Piopio
  South Island Piopio
  The South Island Piopio, Turnagra capensis, also known as the New Zealand Thrush, was a passerine bird of the Turnagridae family, found only in New Zealand.-Taxonomy:...
  
  , Turnagra capensis (South Island, New Zealand, 1960s?)

Two subspecies, T. c. minor from Stephens Island

Stephens Island, New Zealand

Stephens Island is at the northern most tip of the Marlborough Sounds in the South Island of New Zealand. It lies two kilometres to the northeast of Cape Stephens, the northernmost point of D'Urville Island. The Māori call the island Takapourewa but Stephens Island is the commonly used name...

 (extinct c. 1897) and the nominate T. c. capensis from the South Island mainland (last specimen taken in 1902, last unconfirmed record in 1963)

Callaeidae

Callaeidae

The small bird family Callaeidae is endemic to New Zealand. It contains three monotypic genera; of the three species in the family, only two survive and both of them, the Kokako and the Saddleback, are endangered species, threatened primarily by the predations of introduced mammalian species such...

– New Zealand wattlebirds

• Huia
  Huia
  The Huia was the largest species of New Zealand wattlebird and was endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. Its extinction in the early 20th century had two primary causes. The first was rampant overhunting to procure Huia skins for mounted specimens, which were in worldwide demand by...
  
  , Heteralocha acutirostris (North Island, New Zealand, early 20th century)

Hirundinidae – swallows and martins

• White-eyed River Martin
  White-eyed River Martin
  The White-eyed River Martin is a passerine bird, one of only two members of the river martin subfamily of the swallow family Hirundinidae...
  
  , Pseudochelidon sirintarae (Thailand, late 1980s?)

Officially classified as critically endangered

Critically endangered

Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...

, this enigmatic species is only known from migrating birds and it was last seen in 1986 at its former roost site. Recent unconfirmed repors suggest it may occur in Cambodia

Cambodia

Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

.

• Red Sea Swallow
  Red Sea Swallow
  The Red Sea Cliff Swallow , also known as the Red Sea Swallow, is a species of bird in the Hirundinidae family.-Distribution and habitat:...
  
  , Petrochelidon perdita (Red Sea area, late 20th century?)

Known from a single specimen, this enigmatic swallow probably still exists, but the lack of recent records is puzzling. It is alternatively placed in the genus Hirundo.

Acrocephalidae

Acrocephalidae

Acrocephalidae is a family of oscine passerine birds, in the superfamily Sylvioidea....

– marsh- and tree-warblers

• Moorea Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus longirostris (Moorea, Society Islands, 1980s?)

Formerly considered a subspecies of the Tahiti Reed-warbler. Last reliable sighting was in 1981. Survey in 1986/1987 remained unsuccessful. A photograph of a warbler from Moorea in 1998 or 1999 taken by Philippe Bacchet remains uncertain.

Muscicapidae – Old World flycatchers and chats

• Rueck's Blue Flycatcher, Cyornis ruckii (Malaysia or Indochina, 20th century?)

An enigmatic bird known from 2 or 4 possibly migrant specimens, last recorded in 1918. Might exist in NE Indochina and might be a subspecies of the Hainan Blue Flycatcher.

Megaluridae

Megaluridae

Locustellidae is a newly recognized family of small insectivorous songbirds , formerly placed in the Old World warbler "wastebin" family. It contains the grass-warblers, grassbirds, and the Bradypterus "bush-warblers". These birds occur mainly in Eurasia, Africa, and the Australian region...

– megalurid warblers or grass warblers

• Chatham Islands Fernbird
  Chatham Islands Fernbird
  The Chatham Islands Fernbird is an extinct bird species endemic to Pitt Island and Mangere Island . Its next living relatives are the Snares Fernbird and the New Zealand Fernbird or Matata...
  
  , Bowdleria rufescens (Chatham Islands, New Zealand, c. 1900)

Often placed in genus Megalurus, but this is based on an incomplete review of the evidence.

Cisticolidae

Cisticolidae

The Cisticolidae family of small passerine birds is a group of about 110 warblers found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are often included within the Old World warbler family Sylviidae....

– cisticolas and allies

• Tana River Cisticola
  Tana River Cisticola
  The Tana River Cisticola is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family. It is found in Kenya and there is speculation that it may also be found in Somalia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist shrubland....
  
  , Cisticola restrictus (Kenya, 1970s?)

A mysterious bird, found in the Tana River basin in small numbers at various dates, but not since 1972. Probably invalid, based on aberrant or hybrid specimens. An unconfirmed sighting was apparently made in 2007 in the Tana River Delta.

Zosteropidae

White-eye

White-eye can refer to:*White-eye , a large family of birds.*White-eye , a species of fish.*White-eye mutation, a mutation in Drosophila melanogaster linked to the X chromosome, found by reciprocal cross breeding experiments in 1906.*A lioness member of the Marsh Pride of lions that have featured...

– white-eyes. Probably belong into Timaliidae.

• Lord Howe White-eye, Zosterops strenuus (Lord Howe Island, Southwest Pacific, c. 1918)
• White-chested White-eye
  White-chested White-eye
  The White-chested White-eye also known as White-breasted White-eye or Norfolk White-eye is a passerine from the family Zosteropidae. It is endemic to Norfolk Island between New Caledonia and New Zealand and it is regarded as one of the rarest birds in the world...
  
  , Zosterops albogularis (Norfolk Island, between 2006 and 2010)

Timaliidae – Old World babblers

• Black-browed Babbler
  Black-browed Babbler
  The Black-browed Babbler is a mysterious songbird species in the family Timaliidae. It is endemic to Borneo. Only a single specimen, collected in the 19th century, is known....
  
  , Malacocincla perspicillata (Borneo?, Indonesia, 20th century?)

Known from a single mid-19th century specimen, this bird may be extinct or could still exist. If the specimen label, usually considered erroneous in claiming "Java" as the bird's origin, is correct, it may have gone extinct earlier.

Pycnonotidae – bulbuls

• Rodrigues Bulbul
  Rodrigues Bulbul
  The Rodrigues Bulbul is a bird which is endemic to Rodrigues and possibly became extinct in the 16th century....
  
  , ?Hypsipetes sp. (Rodrigues, Mascarenes, 17th century?)

Known only from subfossil bones.

Sylvioidea

Sylvioidea

Sylvioidea is a superfamily of passerine birds. It is one of at least three major clades within the Passerida along with the Muscicapoidea and Passeroidea. It contains about 1300 species including the Old World warblers, Old World babblers, swallows, larks, bulbuls and perhaps the tits...

 incertae sedis

Incertae sedis

, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...

• Aldabra Brush-warbler, Nesillas aldabrana (Aldabra, Indian Ocean, c. 1984)
• Rodrigues "Babbler" (Rodrigues, Mascarenes, 17th century?)

Known from subfossil

Subfossil

Subfossil refers to remains whose fossilization process is not complete, either for lack of time or because the conditions in which they were buried were not optimal for fossilization....

 bones. Provisionally assigned to Timaliidae, but placement highly doubtful.

Sturnidae – starlings

• Kosrae Island Starling
  Kosrae Island Starling
  The Kosrae Island Starling, also known as Kosrae Starling, and formerly as Kusaie Mountain Starling, is an extinct bird from the family of starlings...
  
  , Aplonis corvina (Kosrae, Carolines, mid-19th century)
• Mysterious Starling
  Mysterious Starling
  The Mysterious Starling or Mauke Starling was a species of starling found on the island of Mauke, Cook Islands. It is now extinct. The binomen is the result of Buller's misreading of the name inornata on the specimen label...
  
  , Aplonis mavornata (Mauke, Cook Islands, mid-19th century)
• Tasman Starling
  Tasman Starling
  The Tasman Starling was described in 1836 by John Gould as a species which occurred on both Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island...
  
  , Aplonis fusca (Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island, Southwest Pacific, c. 1923)

Two subspecies, A. f. fusca– Norfolk Island Starling (extinct c. 1923); A. fusca hulliana– Lord Howe Starling

Lord Howe Starling

The Lord Howe Starling was a small bird in the starling family. It is an extinct subspecies of the Tasman Starling , the only other subspecies being the Norfolk Starling which is also extinct...

 (extinct c. 1919).

• Pohnpei Starling
  Pohnpei Starling
  The Pohnpei Starling , also known as Pohnpei Mountain Starling or Ponape Mountain Starling, is an extremely rare or possibly extinct bird from the family of starlings . It is endemic to the island of Pohnpei in the Pacific Ocean. It was called "sie" by the Pohnpei islanders...
  
  , Aplonis pelzelni (Pohnpei, Micronesia, c. 2000)

Only one reliable record since 1956, in 1995, leaves the species' survival seriously in doubt.

• Bay Starling, Aplonis? ulietensis (Raiatea, Society Islands, between 1774 and 1850)

Usually called "Bay Thrush" (Turdus ulietensis); a mysterious bird from Raiatea

Raiatea

Raiatea , is the second largest of the Society Islands, after Tahiti, in French Polynesia. The island is widely regarded as the 'center' of the eastern islands in ancient Polynesia and it is likely that the organised migrations to Hawaii, Aotearoa and other parts of East Polynesia started at...

, now only known from a painting and some descriptions of a (now lost) specimen. Its taxonomic

Alpha taxonomy

Alpha taxonomy is the discipline concerned with finding, describing and naming species of living or fossil organisms. This field is supported by institutions holding collections of these organisms, with relevant data, carefully curated: such institutes include natural history museums, herbaria and...

 position is thus unresolvable at present, although for biogeographic

Biogeography

Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species , organisms, and ecosystems in space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities vary in a highly regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, isolation and habitat area...

 reasons and because of the surviving description, it has been suggested to have been a honeyeater

Honeyeater

The honeyeaters are a large and diverse family of small to medium sized birds most common in Australia and New Guinea, but also found in New Zealand, the Pacific islands as far east as Samoa and Tonga, and the islands to the north and west of New Guinea known as Wallacea...

. However, with the discovery of fossils of the prehistorically extinct starling

Starling

Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name "Sturnidae" comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent...

 Aplonis diluvialis on neighboring Huahine

Huahine

Huahine is an island located among the Society Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Leeward Islands group . The island has a population of about 6,000.-Geography:...

, it seems likely that this bird also belonged to this genus.

• Bourbon Crested Starling
  Bourbon Crested Starling
  The Bourbon Crested Starling , also known as Huppe, Crested Starling, or Réunion Starling is an extinct bird from the family of Sturnidae.-Description:...
  
  , Fregilupus varius (Réunion, Mascarenes, 1850s)

Tentatively assigned to Sturnidae

• Rodrigues Starling
  Rodrigues Starling
  The Rodrigues Starling , alternatively spelled Rodriguez Starling, is an extinct and quite enigmatic songbird species. It is the only valid species in genus Necropsar, and provisionally assigned to the starling family . This bird used to inhabit Rodrigues in the Mascarenes and at least one of its...
  
  , Necropsar rodericanus (Rodrigues, Mascarenes, mid-18th century?)

Tentatively assigned to Sturnidae. The bird variously described as Necropsar leguati or Orphanopsar leguati and considered to be identical with N. rodericanus (which is only known from subfossil

Subfossil

Subfossil refers to remains whose fossilization process is not complete, either for lack of time or because the conditions in which they were buried were not optimal for fossilization....

 bones) was found to be based on a misidentified albinistic specimen of the Martinique Trembler (Cinclocerthia gutturalis)

Turdidae – thrushes and allies

• Grand Cayman Thrush
  Grand Cayman Thrush
  The Grand Cayman Thrush is an extinct bird from the family of thrushes . It was endemic to Grand Cayman.-Description:...
  
  , Turdus ravidus (Grand Cayman, West Indies, late 1940s)
• Bonin Thrush
  Bonin Thrush
  The Bonin Thrush, Bonin Islands Thrush or Kittlitz's Thrush is sometimes separated as the only species of the genus Cichlopasser. It is an extinct species of Asian thrush...
  
  , Zoothera terrestris (Chichi-jima, Ogasawara Islands, c. 1830s)
• [[ʻĀmaui]], Myadestes woahensis (Oʻahu, Hawaiian Islands, mid-19th century)
• Kāmaʻo, Myadestes myadestinus (Kauaʻi, Hawaiian Islands, 1990s)
• Olomaʻo, Myadestes lanaiensis (Hawaiian Islands, 1980s?)

Officially classified as critically endangered

Critically endangered

Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...

 because a possible location on Molokaʻi remains unsurveyed. Two subspecies are known from Lanaʻi (M. l. lanaiensis, extinct early 1930s), Molokaʻi (M. l. rutha, extinct 1980s?) and a possible third subspecies from Maui (extinct before late 19th century).

Mimidae – mockingbirds and thrashers

• Cozumel Thrasher
  Cozumel Thrasher
  The Cozumel Thrasher, Toxostoma guttatum, is a bird from the mockingbird family , which is endemic to the island of Cozumel off the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico...
  
  , Toxostoma guttatum (Cozumel, Caribbean, early first decade of the 21st century?)

It is still unknown whether the tiny population rediscovered in 2004 survived Hurricanes Emily

Hurricane Emily (2005)

Hurricane Emily was a powerful, early season tropical cyclone that caused significant damage across the Caribbean Sea to Mexico. A Cape Verde-type hurricane, the storm formed on July 10, 2005, in the central Atlantic Ocean before passing through the Windward Islands on July 14...

 and Wilma

Hurricane Wilma

Hurricane Wilma was the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. Wilma was the twenty-second storm , thirteenth hurricane, sixth major hurricane, and fourth Category 5 hurricane of the record-breaking 2005 season...

 in 2005. Unconfirmed records in April 2006 and October and December 2007.

Estrildidae– estrildid finches (waxbills, munias, etc.)

• Black-lored Waxbill
  Black-lored Waxbill
  The Black-lored Waxbill Estrilda nigriloris is a species of estrildid finch found around the Lualaba River and Lake Upemba in the southern of The Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of less than 2,600 km²....
  
  , Estrilda nigriloris (D.R. Congo, Africa, late 20th century?)

An enigmatic waxbill not seen since 1950; because part of its habitat is in Upemba National Park

Upemba National Park

Upemba National Park is a large park in the Katanga province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Located in a lush area dotted by lakes, including the eponymous Lake Upemba, and bordered by the Lualaba River, its 11,730 km² dominates the Kibara Plateau....

 it may survive.

Icteridae – grackles

• Slender-billed Grackle
  Slender-billed Grackle
  The Slender-billed Grackle was a species of bird in the icterid family Icteridae. The species was closely related to the western clade of the Great-tailed Grackle, from which it diverged around 1.2 million years ago....
  
  , Quiscalus palustris (Mexico, 1910)

Parulidae – New World warblers

• Bachman's Warbler
  Bachman's Warbler
  The Bachman's Warbler, Vermivora bachmanii, is a small passerine bird that inhabits the swamps and lowland forests of the southeast United States. This warbler is a migrant, wintering in Cuba. The Bachman’s Warbler is small for a warbler and is unique for its thin and decurved bill. It has strong...
  
  , Vermivora bachmanii (Southern USA, c. 1990?)

Officially classified as critically endangered

Critically endangered

Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...

.

• Semper's Warbler
  Semper's Warbler
  The Semper's Warbler is an extremely rare or possibly extinct New World Warbler which is endemic to Saint Lucia, part of the Lesser Antilles.-Description:...
  
  , Leucopeza semperi (Saint Lucia, Caribbean, 1970s?)

Officially classified as critically endangered

Critically endangered

Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...

. Suitable habitat remains, and there have been unconfirmed records withint the last decade.

Ploceidae – Weavers

• Réunion Fody
  Réunion Fody
  The Réunion Fody is an extinct bird species from the family of weavers. It was endemic to the Mascarene island of Réunion. This bird was first mentioned in a report by traveller Gabriel Dellon and a second time in 1674 by Dubois...
  
  , Foudia delloni

Formerly Foudia bruante, which might refer to a colour morph of the Madagascar Fody

Madagascar Fody

The Red Fody , sometimes known as the Red Cardinal Fody or Common Fody, is a small bird native to Madagascar....

.

Fringillidae – true finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers

• Tawny-headed Mountain Finch, Leucosticte sillemi (Xinjiang, mid- or late 20th century?)

An enigmatic bird known from just 2 specimens collected in 1929. The region where they were taken is politically highly sensitive and consequently difficult to visit. As no threats are known, probably still extant.

• Bonin Grosbeak
  Bonin Grosbeak
  The Bonin Grosbeak or Bonin Islands Grosbeak is an extinct finch, the only species of the genus Chaunoproctus. It is one of the diverse bird taxa that are vernacularly called "grosbeaks", but it is not closely related to the grosbeaks sensu stricto. It was a retiring, although not shy bird, and...
  
  , Chaunoproctus ferreorostris (Chichi-jima, Ogasawara Islands, 1830s)
• [[ʻŌʻū]], Psittirostra psittacea (Hawaiian Islands, c. 2000?)

Officially classified as critically endangered

Critically endangered

Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...

, this was once the most widespread species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. It has not been reliably recorded since 1987 or 1989.

• Lanaʻi Hookbill, Dysmorodrepanis munroi (Lanaʻi, Hawaiian Islands, 1918)

• Pila's Palila, Loxioides kikuichi (Kauaʻi, Hawaiian Islands), possibly survived to the early 18th century.
• Lesser Koa Finch
  Lesser Koa Finch
  The Lesser Koa Finch is an extinct species of finch in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanididae.-Description:...
  
  , Rhodacanthus flaviceps (Big Island, Hawaiian Islands, 1891)
• Greater Koa Finch
  Greater Koa Finch
  The Greater Koa Finch was a species of finch in the Fringillidae family. It was found only in the Hawaiian Islands. It has been extinct since the late 19th century.- Description :...
  
  , Rhodacanthus palmeri (Big Island, Hawaiian Islands, 1896)
• Kona Grosbeak
  Kona Grosbeak
  The Kona Grosbeak is an extinct species of finch in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanidinae. The Kona Grosbeak was endemic to naio forests on ʻaʻā lava flows at elevations of near the Kona District on the island of Hawaii...
  
  , Psittirostra kona (Big Island, Hawaiian Islands, 1894)
• Greater ʻAmakihi, Hemignathus sagittirostris (Big Island, Hawaiian Islands, 1901)
• Nukupuʻu, Hemignathus lucidus (Hawaiian Islands, c. 2000?)

The subspecies from Oʻahu (H. l. lucidus) has been extinct since the late 19th century, that of Kauaʻi (H. l. hanapepe) most probably since the late 1990s and that of Maui (H. l. affinis) has not been reliably seen since 1995. It is currently classified as critically endangered

Critically endangered

Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...

.

• Hawaiʻi ʻAkialoa or Lesser ʻAkialoa, Hemignathus obscurus (Big Island, Hawaiian Islands, 1940)

Sometimes placed in genus Akialoa (as A. obscura).

• Greater ʻAkialoa, Hemignathus ellisianus (Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Lanaʻi and prehistorically probably Maui and Molokaʻi, Hawaiian Islands, 1969)

Sometimes placed in genus Akialoa (as A. ellisiana). Often split into Maui Nui ʻAkialoa, H. lanaiensis or A. lanaiensis (Lanaʻi and prehistorically probably Maui and Molokaʻi, Hawaiian Islands, extinct 1892), Oʻahu ʻAkialoa, H. ellisianus or A. ellisiana (Oʻahu, Hawaiian Islands, extinct 1940) and Kauaʻi ʻAkialoa, H. stejnegeri or A. stejnegeri (Kauaʻi, Hawaiian Islands, extinct 1969).

• Kakawahie, Paroreomyza flammea (Molokaʻi, Hawaiian Islands, 1963)
• Oʻahu ʻAlauahio, Paroreomyza maculata (Oʻahu, Hawaiian Islands, early 1990s?)

Officially classified as critically endangered

Critically endangered

Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...

. Last reliable record was in 1985, with an unconfirmed sighting in 1990.

• [[ʻUla-ʻai-hawane]], Ciridops anna (Big Island, Hawaiian Islands, 1892 or 1937)
• Black Mamo
  Black Mamo
  The Black Mamo is an extinct bird species once endemic to the island of Molokai, although there is fossil evidence of it having lived on Maui....
  
  , Drepanis funerea (Molokaʻi, Hawaiian Islands, 1907)
• Hawaiʻi Mamo, Drepanis pacifica (Big Island, Hawaiian Islands, 1898)
• Poʻo-uli, Melamprosops phaeosoma (Maui, Hawaiian Islands, 2004?)

The most recent unequivocal extinction on this list. What was most likely the last known bird died in captivity on 28 November 2004.

Emberizidae

Emberizidae

The Emberizidae are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill.In Europe, most species are called buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the sparrows, the...

 – buntings and American sparrow

• Hooded Seedeater
  Hooded Seedeater
  The Hooded Seedeater is a mysterious bird from Brazil from the genus of typical seedeaters . It is only known by the male holotype from 1823....
  
  , Sporophila melanops (Brazil, 20th century?)

Officially classified as critically endangered

Critically endangered

Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...

. It is known only from a single male collected in 1823, and has variously been considered an aberrant Yellow-bellied Seedeater

Yellow-bellied Seedeater

The Yellow-bellied Seedeater is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family, formerly placed with the American sparrows in the Emberizidae....

 or a hybrid.

• Antioquia Brush-finch
  Antioquia Brush-finch
  The Antioquia Brush Finch is a poorly known species from the Emberizidae family. It was scientifically described in 2007 on basis of three museum specimens from Antioquia, Colombia, which were previously labelled as Slaty Brush Finch...
  
  , Atlapetes blancae (Antioquia, Colombia, late 20th century?)

Officially classified as critically endangered

Critically endangered

Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...

. A mysterious bird, formerly misidentified as Slaty Brush-finch

Slaty Brush-finch

The Slaty Brush Finch is a species of bird in the Emberizidae family. It is found in humid Andean forests from western Venezuela, through Colombia, to Ecuador, with a disjunct population in central Peru. The latter is sometimes considered a separate species, the Taczanowski's Brush-finch...

 and only described in 2007. Not found in recent surveys; may be extinct due to rampant habitat destruction.

(Probably) Extinct subspecies of birds

Extinction of subspecies

Subspecies

Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...

 is a subject very dependent on guesswork. National and international conservation projects and research publications such as redlists

IUCN Red List

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...

 usually focus on species as a whole. Reliable information on the status of threatened subspecies usually has to be assembled piecemeal from published observations such as regional checklists. Therefore, the following listing contains a high proportion of taxa that may just as well still exist, but are listed here due to any combination of absence of recent records, a known threat such as habitat destruction, and an observed decline.

Struthioniformes

The Ostrich

Ostrich

The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...

 and related ratites.

• Arabian Ostrich
  Arabian Ostrich
  The Middle Eastern Ostrich or Arabian Ostrich is an extinct subspecies of the ostrich which once lived on the Arabian Peninsula and in the Near East. Its range seems to have been continuous in prehistoric times, but with the drying-up of the Arabian Peninsula, it disappeared from the inhospitable...
  
  , Struthio camelus syriacus (Arabia, 1966)– Ostrich
  Ostrich
  The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
  
   subspecies
• Tasmanian Emu
  Tasmanian Emu
  The Tasmanian Emu is an extinct subspecies of the Emu. It was found on Tasmania where it had become isolated during the Late Pleistocene...
  
  , Dromaius novaehollandiae diemenensis (Tasmania, mid-19th century)– Emu
  Emu
  The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
  
   subspecies
• North Island Little Spotted Kiwi, Apteryx owenii iredalei (North Island, New Zealand, late 19th century)– Little Spotted Kiwi
  Little Spotted Kiwi
  The Little Spotted Kiwi or Little Gray Kiwi, Apteryx owenii, is a small species of kiwi originally from New Zealand's South Island that, around 1890 and 1910 was captured and later released on Kapiti Island...
  
   subspecies

Tinamiformes

Tinamous

• Magdalena Tinamou
  Magdalena Tinamou
  The Magdalena Tinamou, Crypturellus erythropus saltuarius, is a member of one of the most ancient bird families, the tinamous. It is endemic to the Magdalena River Valley in Colombia, and has been considered possibly extinct, as there are no confirmed records since the type specimen was collected...
  
  , Crypturellus (erythropus) saltuarius (Colombia, late 20th century?)

Variously considered a Red-legged Tinamou

Red-legged Tinamou

The Red-legged Tinamou or Red-footed Tinamou,Crypturellus erythropus, is a dumpy, ground-dwelling bird found in the tropics and lower subtropics of northern South America..-Description:...

 subspecies or a distinct species, this bird is currently only known with certainty from the 1943 type specimen. An additional specimen exists (or existed), but its present whereabouts is unknown. Recent research suggest it is still extant, and there was a likely – although as yet unconfirmed – record near the type locality by Colombian ornithologist Oswaldo Cortés in late 2008.

Anseriformes

Anseriformes

The order Anseriformes contains about 150 living species of birds in three extant families: the Anhimidae , Anseranatidae , and the Anatidae, which includes over 140 species of waterfowl, among them the ducks, geese, and swans.All species in the order are highly adapted for an aquatic existence at...

Duck

Duck

Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...

s, geese

Goose

The word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....

 and swan

Swan

Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...

s.

• Bering Cackling Goose, Branta hutchinsii asiatica (Komandorski and Kuril Islands, N Pacific, c. 1914 or 1929)

A subspecies of the Cackling Goose

Cackling Goose

The Cackling Goose is a North American bird of the genus Branta of black geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey Anser species....

 (formerly "Lesser Canada Goose") which is doubtfully distinct from the Aleutian one.

• Rennell Island Teal, Anas gibberifrons remissa (Rennell, Solomon Islands, c. 1959)

A subspecies of the Sunda Teal

Sunda Teal

The Sunda Teal, Anas gibberifrons, also known as the Indonesian Teal, is a dabbling duck found in open wetlands in Indonesia. The species formerly included the Andaman Teal Anas albogularis and the Grey Teal, Anas gracilis as subspecies....

 which disappeared due to predation on young birds by the introduced tilapia

Tilapia

Tilapia , is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the tilapiine cichlid tribe. Tilapia inhabit a variety of fresh water habitats, including shallow streams, ponds, rivers and lakes. Historically, they have been of major importance in artisan fishing in Africa and the...

 Oreochromis mossambicus

Oreochromis mossambicus

The Mozambique tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus, is a tilapiine cichlid fish native to southern Africa. It is a popular fish for aquaculture...

.

• Niceforo's Pintail, Anas georgica niceforoi (Colombia, 1950s)– Yellow-billed Pintail
  Yellow-billed Pintail
  The Yellow-billed Pintail is a South American dabbling duck of the genus Anas with three described subspecies.-Description:...
  
   subspecies
• Borrero's Cinnamon Teal, Anas cyanoptera borreroi (Colombia, late 20th century?)

A subspecies of the Cinnamon Teal

Cinnamon Teal

The Cinnamon Teal is a small, reddish dabbling duck found in marshes and ponds of western North and South America.thumb|left|Female Anas cyanoptera septentrionalium...

 known only from a restricted area in the Cordillera Occidental of Colombia, with a couple of records from Ecuador. It is either very rare or already extinct.

Galliformes

Galliformes

Galliformes are an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding domestic or game bird, containing turkey, grouse, chicken, New and Old World Quail, ptarmigan, partridge, pheasant, and the Cracidae. Common names are gamefowl or gamebirds, landfowl, gallinaceous birds or galliforms...

Quail

Quail

Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally considered in the order Galliformes. Old World quail are found in the family Phasianidae, while New World quail are found in the family Odontophoridae...

s and relatives.

• Italian Grey Partridge, Perdix perdix italica (Italy, c.1990)

A subspecies of the Grey Partridge

Grey Partridge

The Grey Partridge, Perdix perdix, also known as the English Partridge, Hungarian Partridge, or Hun, is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds...

 whose validity has been questioned; the last purebred individuals disappeared during the late 1980s due to hybridization with introduced birds.

• Amik Gölü Black Francolin, Francolinus francolinus billypayni (S Turkey, possibly Lebanon, 1960s)

A doubtfully distinct subspecies of the Black Francolin

Black Francolin

The Black Francolin, Francolinus francolinus, is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It was formerly known as the Black Partridge.-Identification:...

.

• Sicilian Black Francolin, Francolinus francolinus ssp. (Sicily, Mediterranean, c.1869)

Another doubtfully distinct Black Francolin

Black Francolin

The Black Francolin, Francolinus francolinus, is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It was formerly known as the Black Partridge.-Identification:...

 subspecies.

• Heath Hen
  Heath Hen
  The Heath Hen was a distinctive subspecies of the Greater Prairie Chicken, Tympanuchus cupido, a large North American bird in the grouse family, or possibly a distinct species....
  
  , Tympanuchus cupido cupido, (New England, North America, 1932)

A subspecies of the Greater Prairie-Chicken or possibly a distinct species.

• New Mexico Sharp-tailed Grouse, Tympanuchus phasianellus hueyi (New Mexico, North America, 1954)

Sharp-tailed Grouse

Sharp-tailed Grouse

The Sharp-tailed Grouse, Tympanuchus phasianellus , is a medium-sized prairie grouse. It is also known as the sharptail, and is known as "fire grouse" or "fire bird" by Native American Indians due to their reliance on brush fires to keep their habitat open.-Taxonomy:The Greater Prairie-chicken,...

 subspecies

• Moroccan Guineafowl, Numida meleagris sabyi (Morocco, mid-20th century or early 1980s)

A subspecies of the Helmeted Guineafowl

Helmeted Guineafowl

The Helmeted Guineafowl is the best known of the guineafowl bird family, Numididae, and the only member of the genus Numida...

. Reportedly still kept in captivity in Morocco in late 1990s. Possibly extinct by 1950, three records from the 1970s may refer to feral-domestic hybrids.

Charadriiformes

Charadriiformes

Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...

Shorebirds, gull

Gull

Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...

s and auk

Auk

An auk is a bird of the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes. Auks are superficially similar to penguins due to their black-and-white colours, their upright posture and some of their habits...

s.

• Kiritimati Sandpiper, Prosobonia cancellata cancellata (Kiritimati, Kiribati, 19th century?)

The doubtfully distinct nominate subspecies of the Tuamotu Sandpiper

Tuamotu Sandpiper

The Tuamotu Sandpiper, Prosobonia cancellata, is an endangered member of the large wader family Scolopacidae, that is endemic to the Tuamotu Islands in French Polynesia. It is sometimes placed in the monotypic genus Aechmorhynchus...

, sometimes considered a distinct species, but only known from a painting.

• Andalusian Hemipode, Turnix sylvatica sylvatica (Mediterranean region, late 20th century?)

The nominate subspecies of the Small Buttonquail

Small Buttonquail

The Kurrichane Buttonquail, Small Buttonquail, Common Buttonquail, or Andalusian Hemipode, Turnix sylvaticus, is a buttonquail, one of a small family of birds which resemble, but are unrelated to, the true quails...

, last recorded in Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 in 1981. A few birds might persist in Morocco

Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

.

• Tawitawi Small Buttonquail, Turnix sylvatica suluensis (Tawitawi, Philippines, mid-20th century)

Small Buttonquail

Small Buttonquail

The Kurrichane Buttonquail, Small Buttonquail, Common Buttonquail, or Andalusian Hemipode, Turnix sylvaticus, is a buttonquail, one of a small family of birds which resemble, but are unrelated to, the true quails...

 subspecies.

• New Caledonia Painted Buttonquail, Turnix varius novaecaledoniae (New Caledonia, Melanesia, early 20th century)

A subspecies of the Painted Buttonquail

Painted Buttonquail

Painted Button quail, Turnix varius, is a species of button quail, the family Turnicidae, which resemble, but are unrelated to, the quails of Phasianidae. This species is resident in Australia....

 of somewhat unclear status, it is variously considered anything between a hybrid between introduced species to a full species. Plentiful subfossil bones indicate that it was indeed a good endemic form.

Gruiformes

Gruiformes

The Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like"....

Rail

Rallidae

The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...

s and allies. Probably paraphyletic.

• Goldman's Yellow Rail, Coturnicops noveboracensis goldmani (Mexico, late 1960s)– Yellow Rail
  Yellow Rail
  The Yellow Rail, Coturnicops noveboracensis, is a small waterbird, of the family Rallidae.Adults have brown upperparts streaked with black, a yellowish-brown breast, a light belly and barred flanks. The short thick dark bill turns yellow in males during the breeding season. The feathers on the back...
  
   subspecies
• Macquarie Island Rail
  Macquarie Island Rail
  The Macquarie Island Rail, Gallirallus philippensis macquariensis, is an extinct subspecies of the Buff-banded Rail endemic to Macquarie Island, a subantarctic island part of the state of Tasmania, Australia...
  
  , Gallirallus philippensis macquariensis (Macquarie Islands, SW Pacific, 1880s)– Buff-banded Rail
  Buff-banded Rail
  The Buff-banded Rail, Gallirallus philippensis is a distinctively coloured, highly dispersive, medium-sized rail of the family Rallidae....
  
   subspecies
• Raoul Island Banded Rail, Gallirallus philippensis ssp. (Raoul, Kermadec Islands, SW Pacific, late 19th century?)

Reports of the former occurrence of the species on Raoul seem plausible enough, but they may relate to vagrant individuals of another Buff-banded Rail

Buff-banded Rail

The Buff-banded Rail, Gallirallus philippensis is a distinctively coloured, highly dispersive, medium-sized rail of the family Rallidae....

 subspecies.

• Peruvian Rail, Rallus semiplumbeus peruvianus (Peru, 20th century?)

A subspecies of the Bogota Rail

Bogotá Rail

The Bogotá Rail is a species of bird in the Rallidae family.It is endemic to Colombia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, freshwater lakes, and freshwater marshes....

 which is known from a single specimen collected in the 1880s. It may still be extant.

• Western Australian Lewin's Rail, Lewinia pectoralis cleleandi (SW Australia, late 1930s)– Lewin's Rail
  Lewin's Rail
  The Lewin's Rail is a species of bird in the Rallidae family.It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
  
   subspecies
• Assumption White-throated Rail, Dryolimnas cuvieri abbotti (Assumption, Astove and Cosmoledo, Aldabra Islands, early 20th century)– White-throated Rail
  White-throated Rail
  The White-throated Rail or Cuvier's Rail is a species of bird in the Rallidae family. It is found in Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte, and Seychelles. A flightless subspecies, Dryolimnas cuvieri aldabranus , inhabits Aldabra, while another, D. c...
  
   subspecies.
• Jamaican Uniform Crake, Amaurolimnas concolor concolor (Jamaica, West Indies, 1890)– Uniform Crake
  Uniform Crake
  The Uniform Crake is a species of bird in the Rallidae family, the only member of the genus Amaurolimnas. It is found widely, but locally, in swampy forests and wetlands of southern Mexico, and Central and South America...
  
   nominate subspecies
• Intact Rail, Gymnocrex plumbeiventris intactus (Melanesia, 20th century?)

A subspecies of the Bare-eyed Rail

Bare-eyed Rail

The Bare-eyed Rail is a species of bird in the Rallidae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea....

 which is known from a single specimen, c. mid-19th century, from the Solomon Islands or New Ireland. The taxon may be extant.

• Bornean Baillon's Crake, Porzana pusilla mira (Borneo, 20th century?)

A subspecies of Baillon's Crake

Baillon's Crake

The Baillon's Crake is a very small waterbird of the family Rallidae.-Distribution:Their breeding habitat is sedge beds in Europe, mainly in the east, and across Asia. They used to breed in Great Britain up to the mid-19th century, but the western European population declined through drainage....

 known from a single 1912 specimen and not found since; may be extinct, but species is hard to find.

• Moroccan Bustard, Ardeotis Arabs lynesi (Morocco, 1990s)

A subspecies of the Arabian Bustard

Arabian Bustard

The Arabian Bustard is a species of bird in the bustard family. It is part of the largest-bodied genus and, though little known, appears to be a fairly typical species in that group. As in all bustards, the male Arabian bustard is much larger than the female. Males have been found to weigh ,...

. Last observed in 1993 at Lac Merzouga/Lac Tamezguidat.

• Luzon Sarus Crane, Grus antigone luzonica (Luzon, Philippines, late 1960s)

A subspecies of the Sarus Crane

Sarus Crane

The Sarus Crane is a large non-migratory crane found in parts of the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Australia. The tallest of the flying birds, standing at a height of up to 1.8 m , they are conspicuous and iconic species of open wetlands...

 which is not always accepted as valid, probably mainly because the specimens have never been thoroughly studied since the subspecies' description.

Ciconiiformes

Ciconiiformes

Traditionally, the order Ciconiiformes has included a variety of large, long-legged wading birds with large bills: storks, herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, and several others. Ciconiiformes are known from the Late Eocene...

Heron

Heron

The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....

s and related birds. Possibly paraphyletic.

• Bonin Nankeen Night Heron
  Bonin Nankeen Night Heron
  The Bonin Night Heron is an extinct subspecies of the Nankeen Night Heron.-Description:The Bonin Night Heron was described by Nicholas Aylward Vigors in 1839 based on reports by Heinrich von Kittlitz and by Captain Frederick William Beechey from the British ship HMS Blossom from 1828. It reached a...
  
  , Nycticorax caledonicus crassirostris (Nakoudo-jima and Chichi-jima
  Chichi-jima
  , formerly known as Peel Island and in the 19th century known to the English as part of the Bonin Islands, is the largest island in the Ogasawara archipelago. Chichi-jima is approximately 150 miles north of Iwo Jima. The island is within the political boundaries of Ogasawara Town, Ogasawara...
  
  , Ogasawara Islands, c. 1890)– Nankeen Night Heron
  Nankeen Night Heron
  The Nankeen Night Heron, Nycticorax caledonicus, also commonly referred to as the Rufous Night Heron, and in Melanesia as Melabaob, is a medium-sized heron. It is found throughout much of Australia except the arid inland, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Melanesia...
  
   subspecies
• Principe Olive Ibis, Bostrychia olivacea rothschildi (Principe, Gulf of Guinea, 1990s?)

An Olive Ibis

Olive Ibis

The Olive Ibis is a species of bird in the Threskiornithidae family.It is found in Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania.- References : Database entry includes...

 subspecies, or (as B. bocagei rothschildi) one of the São Tomé Ibis if this is considered a distinct species. A probable sighting in 1994 was the first (and only) of these birds since the early 20th century; a population may yet survive.

Pteroclidiformes

Sandgrouse

Sandgrouse

The sandgrouse are a family, Pteroclididae, of 16 bird species, the only living members of the order Pteroclidiformes. They are restricted to treeless open country in the Old World, such as plains and semi-deserts. They are distributed across northern, southern and eastern Africa as well as...

.

• Fayyum Sandgrouse, Pterocles exustus floweri (Egypt, c. 1940)

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse

The Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Pterocles exustus, is a species of sandgrouse. They are found in sparse, bushy, arid land which is common in central and northern Africa, and southern Asia. Though they live in hot, arid climates, they are highly reliant on water. They have been known to travel up...

 subspecies, may have survived until early 1980s.

Columbiformes

Columbiformes

Columbiformes are an avian order that includes the very widespread and successful doves and pigeons, classified in the family Columbidae, and the extinct Dodo and the Rodrigues Solitaire, long classified as a second family Raphidae. 313 species, found worldwide, comprise the Columbiformes order....

Pigeons, doves and dodo

Dodo

The dodo was a flightless bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Related to pigeons and doves, it stood about a meter tall, weighing about , living on fruit, and nesting on the ground....

s.

• Madeiran Wood Pigeon
  Madeiran Wood Pigeon
  The Madeiran Wood Pigeon was an endemic subspecies of the Wood Pigeon for Madeira . This Wood Pigeon is endemic to the Laurel forest habitat....
  
  , Columba palumbus maderensis (Madeira, East Atlantic, early 20th century)

Wood Pigeon subspecies

• Ogasawara Japanese Woodpigeon, Columba janthina nitens (Ogasawara Islands, Northwest Pacific, 1980s)

Japanese Wood-pigeon

Japanese Wood-pigeon

The Japanese Wood Pigeon is a species of bird in the Columba genus in the Columbidae family. It is found in China, Japan, Southern part of Korean peninsula, Russia, and Taiwan...

 subspecies

• Lord Howe Pigeon, Columba vitiensis godmanae (Lord Howe Island, Southwest Pacific, 1853)

Metallic Pigeon

Metallic Pigeon

The Metallic Pigeon, also known as White-throated Pigeon is a medium-sized, up to 37cm long, bird in the family Columbidae.-Identification:...

 subspecies

• Tongan Metallic Pigeon, Columba vitiensis ssp. (Vava'u, Tonga, late 18th century?)

This subspecies of the Metallic Pigeon is only known from a footnote in John Latham

John Latham (ornithologist)

John Latham was an English physician, naturalist and author. He was born at Eltham in Kent, and was the eldest son of John Latham, a surgeon there, and his mother was a descendant of the Sothebys, in Yorkshire....

's "General History of Birds", and seems to have died out some time before 1800; possibly, the location is erroneous and the note really refers to the extant population of Fiji.

• Catanduanes Bleeding-heart, Gallicolumba luzonica rubiventris (Catanduanes, Philippines, late 20th century?)

A subspecies of the Luzon Bleeding-heart

Luzon Bleeding-heart

The Luzon Bleeding-heart is one of a number of species of ground dove in the genus Gallicolumba that are called "bleeding-hearts".They get this name from a splash of vivid red colour at the centre of their white breasts...

 known from a single specimen collected in 1971. It is either near extinction or already extinct.

• Basilan Bleeding-heart, Gallicolumba crinigera bartletti (Basilan, Philippines, mid-20th century?)

A subspecies of the Mindanao Bleeding-heart

Mindanao Bleeding-heart

The Mindanao Bleeding-heart is a species of bird in the pigeon and dove family . It is endemic to the Philippines. It is so named because of a red blotch on its breast....

, it was last reported in 1925 and given the massive habitat destruction is likely extinct.

• Vella Lavella Ground-dove, Gallicolumba jobiensis chalconota (Vella Lavella, Makira and Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, late 20th century?)

A subspecies of the White-bibbed Ground-dove

White-bibbed Ground-dove

The Purple Ground Dove , also known as the White-breasted Ground Dove, is a species of bird in the Columbidae family. It is found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist...

 or possibly a distinct species. Known from only 4 specimens, there are no recent records and the local population report it has disappeared.

• White-headed Polynesian Ground-dove, Gallicolumba erythroptera albicollis (Central Tuamotu Islands, 20th century)

The Central Tuamotu subspecies of the Polynesian Ground-dove

Polynesian Ground-dove

The Polynesian Ground Dove is a critically endangered species of bird in the Columbidae family. It is endemic to the Tuamotus in French Polynesia with recent records from the atolls of Matureivavao, Rangiroa, Tenararo, Morane, Vahanga and perhaps Tikehau...

, often referred to as G. e. pectoralis, disappeared at an undetermined date, but might still exist on some unsurveyed atolls. The identity of Northern Tuamotu populations, possibly still extant, is undetermined.

• Ebon Purple-capped Fruit-dove, Ptilinopus porphyraceus marshallianus (Ebon, Marshall Islands?, late 19th century?)

Purple-capped Fruit-dove

Purple-capped Fruit-dove

The Crimson-crowned Fruit Dove , also known as the Purple-capped Fruit Dove , is a species of bird in the Columbidae family.It is found in American Samoa, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, and Wallis and Futuna...

 subspecies of doubtful validity. Known from a single specimen collected in 1859, it is not certain whether this bird actually occurred on Ebon. All that can be said is that this subspecies is no longer found anywhere.

• Mauke Fruit-dove, Ptilinopus rarotongensis "byronensis" (Mauke, Cook Islands, mid- or late 19th century)

A subspecies of the Rarotonga Fruit-dove, known only from the description of a now-lost specimen. the prehistorically extinct population on Mangaia

Mangaia

Mangaia is the most southerly of the Cook Islands and the second largest, after Rarotonga.-Geography:...

 is likely to belong to another distinct subspecies too.

• Negros Grey-necked Imperial-pigeon, Ducula carola nigrorum (Negros and probably Siquijor, late 20th century)

Grey-necked Imperial Pigeon subspecies

• Norfolk Island Kererū, Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae spadicea (Norfolk Island, Southwest Pacific, mid-19th century)

A subspecies of the Kererū

Kereru

The New Zealand Pigeon or kererū is a bird endemic to New Zealand. Māori call it Kererū in most of the country but kūkupa and kūkū in some parts of the North Island, particularly in Northland...

 or New Zealand Pigeon. Similar birds were reported from Lord Howe Island; these seem to represent another extinct subspecies but are undescribed to date.

• Raoul Island Kererū, Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae ssp. nov (Raoul, Kermadec Islands, 19th century)

Another undescribed subspecies (or possibly species) of the Kererū

Kereru

The New Zealand Pigeon or kererū is a bird endemic to New Zealand. Māori call it Kererū in most of the country but kūkupa and kūkū in some parts of the North Island, particularly in Northland...

, known from bones and a brief report.

Psittaciformes

Parrot

Parrot

Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...

s.

• Sangir Red and Blue Lory, Eos histrio histrio (Sangir Archipelago, Indonesia, c. 1997)

The nominate subspecies of the Red and Blue Lory was hybridized out of existence by escaped trade individuals of the subspecies talautensis, the last purebred individuals disappearing in the 1990s or even much earlier.

• Sinú Parakeet, Pyrrhura picta subandina (Colombia, mid-20th century?)

Formerly recognized as a distinct species, this bird has a very restricted distribution and was last reliably recorded in 1949. It was not found during searches in 2004 and 2006 and seems to be extinct; efforts to find it again continue but are hampered by the threat of armed conflict.

• Challenger's Lory, Eos histrio challengeri (Nenusa Islands, Talaud Archipelago, early 20th century?)

A supposed subspecies of the Red and Blue Lory, but probably invalid.

• Macquarie Parakeet, Cyanoramphus erythrotis (Macquarie Islands, SW Pacific, c. 1891)
• Lord Howe Red-crowned Parakeet
  Lord Howe Red-crowned Parakeet
  The Lord Howe Red-crowned Parakeet , also known as the Lord Howe Red-fronted Parakeet, was a parrot endemic to Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea, part of New South Wales, Australia...
  
  , Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae subflavescens (Lord Howe Island, SW Pacific, c. 1870)

Red-crowned Parakeet

Red-crowned Parakeet

The Red-crowned Parakeet, Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae, is a small species of parrot from New Zealand. The species was once lumped with several other parrots from New Zealand's outlying islands, New Caledonia and Norfolk Island, but these have now been afforded full species status...

 subspecies

• Réunion Parakeet
  Réunion Parakeet
  The Réunion Parakeet was a little-known and extinct subspecies, sometimes considered a full species, of parakeet which used to inhabit Réunion Island in the western Indian Ocean. It is only known from descriptions, as well as illustrations of which it is unknown whether they were drawn from live...
  
  , Psittacula eques eques (Réunion, Mascarenes, mid-18th century)

Known only from a painting and descriptions; if it is accepted as valid, it would become the nominate subspecies of the Echo Parakeet, extant on Mauritius, which would then have to be called P. eques echo.

• Siquijor Colasisi, Loriculus philippensis siquijorensis (Siqujoor, Philippines, 1990s)

A subspecies of the Colasisi

Colasisi

The Philippine Hanging Parrot is also widely known as the Colasisi taken from its local Tagalog name, "Kulasisi". It is a small parrot species of the Psittacidae family...

 or Philippine Hanging Parrot, either very rare or already extinct.

• Puerto Rican Parakeet, Aratinga chloroptera maugei (Mona and possibly Puerto Rico, West Indies, 1890s)

A weakly differentiated subspecies of the Hispaniolan Parakeet

Hispaniolan Parakeet

The Hispaniolan Parakeet, Conure Maîtresse, Aratinga De La Española, or Perico is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family.It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola...

.

• Sinú Brown-throated Parakeet, Aratinga pertinax griseipecta (Colombia, mid- or late 20th century?)

A subspecies of the Brown-throated Parakeet

Brown-throated Parakeet

The Brown-throated Parakeet , commonly known as the St. Thomas Conure or Brown-throated Conure in aviculture, is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family...

 known from only two specimens collected in 1949 and of unclear taxonomical and conservation status.

• Culebra Amazon, Amazona vittata gracilipes (Culebra, West Indies, 20th century)

A weakly differentiated subspecies of the Puerto Rican Amazon which is itself highly endangered.

Cuculiformes

Cuculiformes

The near passerine bird order Cuculiformes traditionally included three families as below:* Musophagidae - turacos and allies* Cuculidae - cuckoos, coucals, roadrunners and anis* Opisthocomidae - Hoatzin...

Cuckoo

Cuckoo

The cuckoos are a family, Cuculidae, of near passerine birds. The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos . Some zoologists and taxonomists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, but its taxonomy remains in dispute...

s.

• Greater Crested Coua, Coua cristata maxima (SE Madagascar, late 20th century?)

Crested Coua

Crested Coua

The Crested Coua, Coua cristata, is a medium-sized, approximately 44cm long, greenish-grey coua with grey crest, blue bare orbital skin, rufous breast, brown iris, black bill and legs, white belly and long white-tipped purplish-blue tail feathers. They are very attractive birds.The Crested Coua is...

 subspecies, known only from a single specimen taken in 1950. It may be a hybrid, but if not it is probably extinct.

• Timor Pheasant Coucal, Centropus phasianinus mui (Timor, Indonesia, late 20th century?)

A very distinctive Pheasant Coucal

Pheasant Coucal

The Pheasant Coucal is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family.It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea....

 subspecies or possibly a distinct species which is mysteriously only known from one specimen.

• Assumption Island Coucal, Centropus toulou assumptionis (Assumption Island, Seychelles, c. 1920s)

A Madagascar Coucal

Madagascar Coucal

The Malagasy Coucal or Madagascar Coucal is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family. It is found in Madagascar, the Comoros and the Seychelles where it occurs on Aldabra and formerly on Assumption Island and Cosmoledo...

 subspecies often considered synonymous with the Aldabra form insularis, which has recolonized Assumption Island at a later date.

• Cabo San Lucas Groove-billed Ani, Crotophaga sulcirostris pallidula (Mexico, c. 1940)

A weakly differentiated and probably invalid subspecies of the Groove-billed Ani

Groove-billed Ani

The Groove-billed Ani, Crotophaga sulcirostris, is an odd-looking tropical bird in the cuckoo family with a long tail and a large, curved beak. It is a resident species throughout most of its range, from southern Texas and central Mexico through Central America, to northern Colombia and Venezuela,...

• Bahia Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo, Neomorphus geoffroyi maximiliani (E Brazil, mid-20th century?)– Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo subspecies.

Falconiformes

Falconiformes

The order Falconiformes is a group of about 290 species of birds that comprises the diurnal birds of prey. Raptor classification is difficult and the order is treated in several ways.- Classification problems :...

Birds of prey

Bird of prey

Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....

.

• Cape Verde Kite, Milvus (milvus) fasciicauda (Cape Verde Islands, E Atlantic, 2000)

Considered either a subspecies of the Red Kite

Red Kite

The Red Kite is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species is currently endemic to the Western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa, though formerly also occurred just...

, a distinct species, or a hybrid between Red

Red Kite

The Red Kite is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species is currently endemic to the Western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa, though formerly also occurred just...

 and Black Kite

Black Kite

The Black Kite is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. Unlike others of the group, they are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. They spend a lot of time soaring and gliding in thermals in search of food. Their...

s, the validity of this taxon has recently being questioned on the basis of molecular analysis. However, hybridization and a confusing molecular phylogeny of Red Kite populations coupled with the distinct phenotype of the Cape Verde birds suggest that the taxonomic status of this form is far from resolved.

• Anjouan Sparrowhawk, Accipiter francesii pusillus

This subspecies of Frances's Sparrowhawk

Frances's Sparrowhawk

Frances' Goshawk is a small hawk. The nominate subspecies, A. f. francesiae, is endemic to Madagascar. The race from Anjouan, Accipiter francesiae pusillus is possibly extinct....

 from Ndzouani (Anjouan), Comoros, was last seen in 1958; given that little habitat remains, it is probably extinct.

• Car Nicobar Sparrowhawk, Accipiter butleri butleri (Car Nicobar, Nicobar Islands, 20th century?)

The nominate subspecies of the Nicobar Sparrowhawk

Nicobar Sparrowhawk

The Nicobar Sparrowhawk is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. It is endemic to the Nicobar Islands of India. There are two subspecies, the nominate race which is found on Car Nicobar in the north of the archipelago, and A. b. obsoletus, from Katchal and Camorta in the central...

– which is currently listed as vulnerable

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

– is possibly extinct. It was last reliably recorded in 1901 and despite searches, has not been sighted after an unconfirmed record in 1977.

• Volcano Islands Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus furuitii. (Ogasawara Islands, 1940s)

Peregrine falcon

Peregrine Falcon

The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...

 subspecies from the Ogasawara Islands

Ogasawara Islands

The Bonin Islands, known in Japan as the are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some directly south of Tokyo, Japan. Administratively, they are part of Ogasawara Municipality of Ogasawara Subprefecture, Tokyo...

. No sightings since 1945. A survey in 1982 failed to find this bird. Only known from Iwo Jima

Iwo Jima

Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...

 and Torishima

Torishima (Izu Islands)

, literally meaning "Bird Island", is an uninhabited volcanic island at the south end of the Izu Islands in the Pacific Ocean, administered by Japan.-Geography:...

.

Strigiformes

Typical owl

Typical owl

True owl or Typical owl are one of the two generally accepted families of Owls, the other being the barn owls . The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy unites the Caprimulgiformes with the owl order; here, the typical owls are a subfamily Strigidae...

s and barn-owls.

• Sulu Reddish Scops Owl, Otus rufescens burbidgei (Sulu, Philippines, mid-20th century)

A subspecies of the Reddish Scops Owl

Reddish Scops Owl

The Reddish Scops Owl is an owl found in southeast Asia.-References:*...

. Known from a single questionable specimen and may not be valid.

• Virgin Islands Screech Owl, Megascops nudipes newtoni (Virgin Islands, Caribbean, 1860s)

A subspecies of the Puerto Rican Screech Owl

Puerto Rican Screech Owl

The Puerto Rican Screech Owl or Múcaro is a nocturnal endemic owl of the archipelago of Puerto Rico belonging to the Megascops genus of the Strigidae family. The subspecies, M. n . newtoni, which was endemic to the Virgin Islands, was locally referred to as the Cuckoo Bird.-Taxonomy:The nominate...

 of somewhat doubtful validity which occurred on several of the Virgin Islands, West Indies. The last reliable records are in 1860; it was not found in thorough surveys in 1995.

• Socorro Elf Owl, Micrathene whitneyi graysoni (Socorro, Revillagigedo Islands, c. 1970)

A subspecies of the Elf Owl

Elf Owl

The Elf Owl is a member of the owl family Strigidae that breeds in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is the world's lightest owl, although the Long-whiskered Owlet and the Tamaulipas Pygmy Owl are of a similarly diminutive length. The mean body weight of this species is 40 grams...

. Officially listed as critically endangered, the last specimen was taken in 1932, but there apparently still was a large population in 1958; it was not found by subsequent searches and appears to be extinct.

• Antiguan Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia amaura (Antigua, St Kitts and Nevis, West Indies, c. 1905)– Burrowing Owl
  Burrowing Owl
  The Burrowing Owl is a tiny but long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing Owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other open dry area with low vegetation. They nest and roost in burrows, such as those excavated...
  
   subspecies
• Guadeloupe Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia guadeloupensis (Guadeloupe and Marie-Galante, West Indies, c. 1890)– Burrowing Owl
  Burrowing Owl
  The Burrowing Owl is a tiny but long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing Owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other open dry area with low vegetation. They nest and roost in burrows, such as those excavated...
  
   subspecies
• Lord Howe Boobook
  Lord Howe Boobook
  The Lord Howe Boobook , also known as the Lord Howe Morepork, was a bird in the true owl family endemic to Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea, part of New South Wales, Australia...
  
  , Ninox novaeseelandiae albaria (Lord Howe Island, Southwest Pacific, 1950s)– Southern Boobook
  Southern Boobook
  The Southern Boobook , also called the Mopoke, Morepork, Ruru or Tasmanian Spotted Owl, is a small brown owl found throughout New Zealand, Tasmania, across most of mainland Australia and in Timor, southern New Guinea and nearby islands.The bird has almost 20 alternative common names, most of which...
  
   subspecies
• Norfolk Boobook, Ninox novaeseelandiae undulata (Norfolk Island, Southwest Pacific, 1996)

Individuals of the nominate subspecies

Southern Boobook

The Southern Boobook , also called the Mopoke, Morepork, Ruru or Tasmanian Spotted Owl, is a small brown owl found throughout New Zealand, Tasmania, across most of mainland Australia and in Timor, southern New Guinea and nearby islands.The bird has almost 20 alternative common names, most of which...

 were introduced in a last-ditch effort to save the local owl population. There now exists a hybrid population of a few dozen birds; the last individual of N. n. undulata, a female named Miamiti died in 1996.

• Cave-nesting Masked Owl, Tyto novaehollandiae troughtoni (Nullarbor Plain, Australia, 1960s)

Doubtfully distinct from nominate subspecies, but differed behaviorally.

• Buru Masked Owl, Tyto sororcula cayelii (Buru, Indonesia, mid-20th century?)

Subspecies of Lesser Masked Owl. Last recorded in 1921; the identity of a similar bird found on Seram remains to be determined. Seems to survive as an owl matching this bird's description was encountered in August, 2006.

• Peleng Masked Owl, Tyto rosenbergii pelengensis (Peleng, Banggai Islands, mid-20th century)

Subspecies of Sulawesi Owl

Sulawesi Owl

The Sulawesi Masked Owl is a species of owl in the Tytonidae family. It is endemic to Indonesia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 24 July 2007....

 or separate species. Possibly extant, but only specimen known taken in 1938 and no further records.

• Samar Bay Owl, Phodilus badius riverae (Samar, Philippines, mid-20th century)

Subspecies of Oriental Bay Owl

Oriental Bay Owl

The Oriental Bay Owl is a type of owl, usually classified with barn owls. It is completely nocturnal, and can be found throughout Southeast Asia. It has several subspecies. It has a heart-shaped face with earlike extensions...

 or possibly distinct species. Taxonomy doubtful but only specimen lost in 1945 bombing raid so validity cannot be verified; no population exists on Samar today.

Caprimulgiformes

Caprimulgiformes

The Caprimulgiformes is an order of birds that includes a number of birds with global distribution . They are generally insectivorous and nocturnal...

Nightjar

Nightjar

Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds with long wings, short legs and very short bills. They are sometimes referred to as goatsuckers from the mistaken belief that they suck milk from goats . Some New World species are named as nighthawks...

s and allies.

• New Caledonian White-throated Eared-nightjar, Eurostopodus mystacalis exsul (New Caledonia, Melanesia, mid-20th century)

This distinct subspecies of the White-throated Eared-nightjar is possibly a separate species. It was found only once; due to its cryptic habits, it possibly still exists, but this is now considered unlikely.

Apodiformes

Apodiformes

Traditionally, the bird order Apodiformes contained three living families: the swifts , the tree swifts , and the hummingbirds . In the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, this order is raised to a superorder Apodimorphae in which hummingbirds are separated as a new order, Trochiliformes...

Swift

Swift

The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are actually not closely related to passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with hummingbirds...

s and hummingbird

Hummingbird

Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...

s.

• Alejandro Selkirk Firecrown, Sephanoides fernandensis leyboldi (Alejandro Selkirk Island, Juan Fernández Islands, Southeast Pacific, 1908)– Juan Fernández Firecrown
  Juan Fernandez Firecrown
  The Juan Fernández Firecrown is a hummingbird found solely on Isla Róbinson Crusoe, one of a three-island archipelago belonging to Chile. It is non-migratory and shares the island with the smaller Green-backed Firecrown, Sephanoides sephaniodes.The population of this species has been in a general...
  
   subspecies
• Luzon Whitehead's Swiftlet, Collocalia whiteheadi whiteheadi (Luzon, Philippines, 20th century?)

The nominate subspecies of Whitehead's Swiftlet

Whitehead's Swiftlet

The Whitehead's Swiftlet is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. It is endemic to the Philippines.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. Its status is insufficiently known.-Source:...

 is only known from four specimens collected at Mount Data in 1895 and from the lack of further records and the massive habitat destruction, it is usually considered extinct. Given the size of the island, it might still exist though.

Coraciiformes

Coraciiformes

The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colorful near passerine birds including the kingfishers, the Hoopoe, the bee-eaters, the rollers, and the hornbills...

Kingfisher

Kingfisher

Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...

s and related birds.

• Sangihe Dwarf-kingfisher, Ceyx fallax sangirensis (Sngihe
  Sangihe Islands
  The Sangihe Islands – – are a group of islands constitute 2 regencies in northern Indonesia, the Sangihe Islands Regency & Sitaro Islands Regency...
  
  , Indonesia, 1998?)

This subspecies of the Sulawesi Kingfisher

Sulawesi Kingfisher

The Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher is a species of bird in the Alcedinidae family.It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...

 was last seen in 1997 but not during a thorough survey one year later; it is either close to extinction or already extinct. Sometimes it is said to occur on Talaud Islands also, but this is erroneous.

• Rarotonga Kingfisher, Todiramphus cf. tutus (Rarotonga, Cook Islands, mid-1980s?)

There exist reports of locals that kingfishers– probably a subspecies of the Chattering Kingfisher

Chattering Kingfisher

The Chattering Kingfisher is a species of bird in the kingfisher family Alcedinidae.The species is found in the Cook Islands and the Society Islands in French Polynesia...

 which is found on neighboring islands, but possibly vagrants from there– were found until around 1979, and there is a last record from 1984. Presently, no kingfishers are known to exist on Rarotonga.

• Mangareva Kingfisher, Todiramphus gambieri gambieri (Mangareva, Gambier Islands, late 19th century)

Only known from a single 1844 specimen, the nominate subspecies of the Tuamotu Kingfisher

Tuamotu Kingfisher

The Tuamotu Kingfisher is a species of bird in the Alcedinidae family. It is endemic to the island of Niau in French Polynesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, plantations and rural gardens...

 was not found anymore when it was next searched for in 1922.

• Javan Blue-banded Kingfisher, Alcedo euryzona euryzona (Java, Indonesia, mid-20th century)

The nominate subspecies of the Blue-banded Kingfisher

Blue-banded Kingfisher

The Blue-banded Kingfisher is a species of bird in the Alcedinidae family.It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand....

; the last specimen was taken in 1937 and the last unconfirmed records are from the 1950s.

• Guadalcanal Little Kingfisher, Alcedo pusilla aolae (Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands)– Little Kingfisher
  Little Kingfisher
  The Little Kingfisher is a species of bird in the Alcedinidae family. It is found in open forest, woodland, swamps and mangroves in Australia , Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.-Description:The Little Kingfisher is 11–13 cm long with a blue back and head and a white...
  
   subspecies
• Sakarha Pygmy Kingfisher, Ispidina madagascariensis dilutus (Southwest Madagascar, late 20th century?)

This subspecies of the Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher is only known from one specimen taken in 1974 in an area where most habitat had already been lost.

• Ticao Tarictic Hornbill, Penelopides panini ticaensis (Ticao, Philippines, 1970s)

A subspecies of the Tarictic Hornbill

Tarictic Hornbill

The Tarictic Hornbill is a hornbill found in rainforests on the islands of Panay, Negros, Masbate, and Guimaras, and formerly Ticao, in the Philippines...

 of somewhat uncertain status– possibly a distinct species, possibly a color morph– the last confirmed report was in 1971 and it became extinct shortly thereafter.

Piciformes

Piciformes

Nine families of largely arboreal birds make up the order Piciformes, the best-known of them being the Picidae, which includes the woodpeckers and close relatives...

Woodpecker

Woodpecker

Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....

s and related birds.

• Grand Bahama West Indian Woodpecker, Melanerpes superciliaris bahamensis (Grand Bahama, Bahamas, 1950s)

A West Indian Woodpecker

West Indian Woodpecker

The West Indian Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family.It is found in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands and Cuba....

 subspecies of somewhat uncertain validity

• Javan Buff-rumped Woodpecker, Meiglyptes tristis tristis (Java, Indonesia, c. 1920)

The nominate subspecies of the Buff-rumped Woodpecker

Buff-rumped Woodpecker

The Buff-rumped Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family.It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand....

 became rare during the 19th century due to destruction of habitat. The last confirmed record was in 1880, and it obviously became extinct in the early 20th century.

• Guadalupe Flicker, Colaptes cafer rufipileus (Guadalupe, East Pacific, c. 1910)

A subspecies of the Red-shafted Flicker (or the Northern Flicker

Northern Flicker

The Northern Flicker is a medium-sized member of the woodpecker family. It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and is one of the few woodpecker species that migrate. There are over 100 common names for the Northern Flicker...

, as C. auratus rufipileus), it was last recorded in 1906 and not found anymore in 1911 and 1922. Recently, vagrant birds of a mainland subspecies have begun recolonizing the island as the habitat improves after the removal of feral goats.

• Northern White-mantled Barbet, Capito hypoleucus hypoleucus (Colombia, mid-20th century)

The nominate subspecies of the White-mantled Barbet

White-mantled Barbet

The White-mantled Barbet is a species of bird in the Capitonidae family.It is endemic to Colombia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, pastureland, and plantations. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on...

 has not been seen since the late 1940s and its habitat has been almost completely destroyed.

• Botero White-mantled Barbet, Capito hypoleucus carrikeri (Colombia, mid-20th century)

Another subspecies of the White-mantled Barbet

White-mantled Barbet

The White-mantled Barbet is a species of bird in the Capitonidae family.It is endemic to Colombia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, pastureland, and plantations. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on...

, last seen in 1950.

• Todd's Jacamar, Brachygalba lugubris phaeonota (Brazil, late 20th century?)

A subspecies of the Brown Jacamar

Brown Jacamar

The Brown Jacamar is a species of bird in the Galbulidae family.It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela....

, or possibly a hybrid, color morph or full species. Might survive as it is only known from a remote and seldom visited

• Cebu White-bellied Woodpecker, Dryocopus javensis cebuensis (Cebu, Philippines, 20th century)

Only known by 3 specimens collected before 1900.

Passeriformes

Perching birds.

Pittidae – Pittas

• Bougainville Black-faced Pitta, Pitta anerythra pallida (Bougainville, Solomon Islands, mid-20th century)

A subspecies of the Black-faced Pitta

Black-faced Pitta

The Black-faced Pitta, Pitta anerythra, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.It is threatened by habitat loss....

. Once common on Bougainville, but not recorded since 1938.

• Choiseul Black-faced Pitta, Pitta anerythra nigrifrons (Choiseul, Solomon Islands, late 20th century?)

Another subspecies of the Black-faced Pitta

Black-faced Pitta

The Black-faced Pitta, Pitta anerythra, is a species of bird in the Pittidae family.It is found in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.It is threatened by habitat loss....

. Not found anymore during recent searches; doubtful records from nearby islands.

Tyrannidae – Tyrant flycatchers

• Bogotá Bearded Tachuri, Polystictus pectoralis bogotensis (C Colombia, late 20th century?)

A Bearded Tachuri

Bearded Tachuri

The Bearded Tachuri is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family.It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela....

 subspecies or possibly a distinct species that has not been recorded for some time and is probably extinct.

• Grenadan Euler's Flycatcher– Lathrotriccus euleri flaviventris (Grenada, West Indies, early 1950s)

A subspecies of Euler's Flycatcher

Euler's Flycatcher

Euler's Flycatcher, Lathrotriccus euleri, is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in South America east of the Andes from Colombia and Venezuela south to Bolivia and Argentina, and on the islands of Trinidad and formerly also Grenada...

, formerly known as Empidonax euleri johnstonei.

• San Cristóbal Vermilion Flycatcher
  San Cristóbal Vermilion Flycatcher
  The San Cristóbal Vermilion Flycatcher is an extremely rare or possibly extinct subspecies of the Vermilion Flycatcher. It is or was endemic to San Cristóbal Island in the Galápagos Islands...
  
  , Pyrocephalus rubinus dubius (San Cristóbal, Galapagos, late 20th century?)

A subspecies of Vermilion Flycatcher

Vermilion Flycatcher

The Vermilion Flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the Tyrannidae, or tyrant flycatcher family. Most flycatchers are rather drab, but the Vermilion Flycatcher is a striking exception...

, described as extremely rare by David W. Steadman in the 1980s and not found despite a six-month survey in 1998. Sometimes considered as full species.

Furnariidae – Ovenbirds

• Peruvian Scale-throated Earthcreeper, Upucerthia dumetaria peruana (Peru, late 20th century?)

A subspecies of the Scale-throated Earthcreeper

Scale-throated Earthcreeper

The Scaly-throated Earthcreeper is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, and subtropical or tropical high-altitude...

, it is only known from 2 specimens taken in the early 1950s at Puno, Peru, and has never been found since. It might still exist, or have become extinct due to habitat destruction in the meantime.

• Northern Stripe-crowned Spinetail, Cranioleuca pyrrhophia rufipennis (N Bolivia, late 20th century?)

A Stripe-crowned Spinetail

Stripe-crowned Spinetail

The Stripe-crowned Spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariidae family.It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay....

 subspecies known from a few specimens and not recorded since the 1950s; may be endangered or even extinct.

Formicariidae

Formicariidae

The Formicariidae, formicariids, or ground antbirds are a family of smallish passerine birds of subtropical and tropical Central and South America. They are between 10 and 20 cm in length, and are related to the antbirds, Thamnophilidae, and gnateaters, Conopophagidae...

– Antpittas and antthrushes

• Northern Giant Antpitta, Grallaria gigantea lehmanni (Colombia, late 20th century?)

A Giant Antpitta

Giant Antpitta

The Giant Antpitta is a perching bird species in the ground antbird family . Like the other antpittas, it might warrant splitting off into a new family....

 (or possibly Great Antpitta

Great Antpitta

The Great Antpitta is a species of bird in the Formicariidae family.It is endemic to Venezuela.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...

) subspecies apparently not recorded since the 1940s. Might still survive in Puracé National Natural Park

Puracé National Natural Park

The Puracé National Natural Park is a national park located in the Andean Region of Colombia, southeast of the city of Popayán in the Cordillera Central range. Its main feature is the active stratovolcano Puracé, one of Colombia's most active volcanoes...

.

Pardalotidae – Pardalotes, scrubwrens, thornbills, and gerygones

• Western Rufous Bristlebird, Dasyornis broadbenti littoralis (Australia, 20th century) – Rufous Bristlebird
  Rufous Bristlebird
  The Rufous Bristlebird is a species of bird in the Dasyornithidae family.It is endemic to Australia.Its natural habitat is temperate forests.It is threatened by habitat loss.-Australia:...
  
   subspecies
• King Island Brown Thornbill, Acanthiza pusilla archibaldi (King Island, Australia, early 1970s?)

A Brown Thornbill

Brown Thornbill

The Brown Thornbill, Acanthiza pusilla, is a passerine bird usually found in eastern and south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. It can grow up to 10 cm long, and feeds on insects....

 subspecies which was last found in 1971, but there was an unconfirmed report in 2002 suggesting a small number is still extant.

Petroicidae

Petroicidae

The bird family Petroicidae includes roughly 45 species in about 15 genera. All are endemic to Australasia: New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand and numerous Pacific Islands as far east as Samoa. For want of an accurate common name, the family is often called the Australasian robins. Within the...

Australasian "robins"

• Tiwi Island Hooded Robin, Melanodryas cucullata melvillensis (Tiwi Islands, Australia, 1992)

Subspecies of the Hooded Robin

Hooded Robin

The Hooded Robin is a small passerine bird native to Australia. Like many brightly coloured robins of the Petroicidae it is sexually dimorphic; the male bearing distinctive black and white coloured plumage, while the female is a nondescript grey-brown.-Taxonomy:Like all Australian Robins, it is...

, last observed in 1992

Cinclosomatidae

Cinclosomatidae

Cinclosomatidae is a family of passerine birds native to Australia and nearby areas. It has a complicated taxonomic history and different authors vary in which birds they include in the family. It includes at least the quail-thrushes , 5 species of ground-dwelling birds found in Australia and New...

– Whipbirds and allies

• Mount Lofty Spotted Quail-thrush, Cinclosoma punctatum anachoreta (Australia, mid-1980s)

A subspecies of the Spotted Quail-thrush

Spotted Quail-thrush

The Spotted Quail-thrush is a species of bird in the Cinclosomatidae family.It is endemic to Australia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.-References:...

, last recorded in 1984.

Monarchidae – Monarch flycatchers

• Negros Celestial Monarch, Hypothymis coelestis rabori (Negros and possibly Sibuyan, Philippines, late 20th century?)

A subspecies of the Celestial Monarch

Celestial Monarch

The Celestial Monarch is a species of bird in the Monarchidae family, and one of the most attractive of all the monarch flycatchers, with its spectacular blue crest and large yellow eye-ring. It is endemic to the Philippines....

, not uncommon on Negros in 1959, but never recorded afterwards. A single Sibuyan specimen from an unspecified locality taken in the 19th century is the only record for this island.

• Hiva Oa Monarch, Pomarea mendozae mendozae (Hiva Oa and Tahuata, Marquesas, late 1970s) – Marquesas Monarch nominate subspecies
• Manu'a Shrikebill, Clytorhynchus vitiensis powelli (Manu'a Islands, Samoa, 1990s?)

Usually treated as a subspecies of the Fiji Shrikebill

Fiji Shrikebill

The Fiji Shrikebill is a songbird species in the family Monarchidae. The Manu'a Shrikebill, subspecies powelli may have gone extinct in the 1990 due to habitat destruction....

 but probably a distinct species, the American Samoan population declined due to habitat destruction and may have become extinct following the cyclones Ofa and Val

Cyclone Val

Severe Tropical Cyclone Val, also known as Cyclone Val, was a cyclone that struck Western Samoa and American Samoa on December 4, 1991. Lasting until December 13, the cyclone moved in a west-to-east trajectory. The cyclone lasted for five days in American Samoa and was designated by the United...

.

Rhipiduridae – fantails

• Lord Howe Fantail, Rhipidura fuliginosa cervina (Lord Howe Island, Southwest Pacific, c. 1925)– New Zealand Fantail
  New Zealand Fantail
  The New Zealand Fantail is a small insectivorous bird. A common fantail found in the South Island of New Zealand, also in the North Island as subspecies Rhipidura fuliginosa placabilis, the Chatham Islands as Rhipidura fuliginosa penita and formerly the Lord Howe Island as Rhipidura fuliginosa...
  
   subspecies
• Guam Rufous Fantail, Rhipidura rufifrons uraniae (Guam, Marianas, 1984) – Rufous Fantail
  Rufous Fantail
  The Rufous Fantail Rhipidura rufifrons inhabits the east coast of Australia. The base of its tail is bright orange-red in colour and their wings are greyish brown. They have a black and white breast that grades into a white colour on the chin and throat....
  
   subspecies

Campephagidae – Cuckoo-shrikes and trillers

• Cebu Bar-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Coracina striata cebuensis (Cebu, Philippines, early 20th century) – Bar-bellied Cuckoo-shrike
  Bar-bellied Cuckoo-shrike
  The Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike is a species of bird in the Campephagidae family.It is found in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand....
  
   subspecies
• Maros Cicadabird, Coracina tenuirostris edithae (Sulawesi, mid-20th century)

A subspecies of the Cicadabird

Cicadabird

The Common Cicadabird , also known as the Slender-billed Cicadabird, is a species of bird in the Campephagidae family. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands...

 known from a single specimen collected in 1931; quite possibly just a vagrant individual.

• Cebu Blackish Cuckoo-shrike, Coracina coerulescens altera (Cebu, Philippines, early 20th century?)

A Blackish Cuckoo-shrike

Blackish Cuckoo-shrike

The Blackish Cuckooshrike is a species of bird in the Campephagidae family.It is endemic to the Philippines.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...

 subspecies; possibly extant as the birds are rather unmistakable and a 1999 record therefore likely to be valid.

• Marinduque Blackish Cuckoo-shrike, Coracina coerulescens deschauenseei (Marinduque, Philippines, late 20th century?)

Another Blackish Cuckoo-shrike

Blackish Cuckoo-shrike

The Blackish Cuckooshrike is a species of bird in the Campephagidae family.It is endemic to the Philippines.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...

 subspecies, described from specimens collected in 1971, but apparently not seen since.

• Norfolk Island Long-tailed Triller, Lalage leucopyga leucopyga (Norfolk Island, Southwest Pacific, 1942)

A subspecies of the Long-tailed Triller

Long-tailed Triller

The Long-tailed Triller is a species of bird in the Campephagidae family.It is found in New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu...

, possibly a distinct species.

Oriolidae – Orioles and Figbird

• Cebu Dark-throated Oriole, Oriolus xanthonotus assimilis (Cebu, Philippines, early 20th century)– Dark-throated Oriole
  Dark-throated Oriole
  The Dark-throated Oriole is a species of bird in the Oriolidae family.It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand....
  
   subspecies

Corvidae

Corvidae

Corvidae is a cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs and nutcrackers. The common English names used are corvids or the crow family , and there are over 120 species...

– Crows, ravens, magpies and jays

• Pied Raven
  Pied Raven
  The Pied Raven was a colour morph of the North Atlantic subspecies of the Common Raven which was only found on the Faroe Islands and has disappeared since the mid twentieth century. It had large areas of white feathering, most frequently on the head, the wings and the belly, and its beak was light...
  
  , Corvus corax varius morpha leucophaeus (Faroe Islands, 1948)

A distinct local variety of the Icelandic subspecies of the Common Raven

Common Raven

The Common Raven , also known as the Northern Raven, is a large, all-black passerine bird. Found across the northern hemisphere, it is the most widely distributed of all corvids...

.

Callaeidae

Callaeidae

The small bird family Callaeidae is endemic to New Zealand. It contains three monotypic genera; of the three species in the family, only two survive and both of them, the Kokako and the Saddleback, are endangered species, threatened primarily by the predations of introduced mammalian species such...

– New Zealand wattlebirds

• South Island Kōkako
  Kokako
  The Kōkako is a forest bird which is endemic to New Zealand. It is slate-grey with wattles and a black mask. It is one of three species of New Zealand Wattlebird, the other two being the endangered Tieke and the extinct Huia...
  
  , Callaeas cinerea cinerea (South Island, New Zealand, 1960s?)

The nominate subspecies of the Kōkako

Kokako

The Kōkako is a forest bird which is endemic to New Zealand. It is slate-grey with wattles and a black mask. It is one of three species of New Zealand Wattlebird, the other two being the endangered Tieke and the extinct Huia...

 is usually considered extinct, as it has not been reliably recorded for decades. However, there are recent reports from Fiordland suggesting a population still exists.

Regulidae – Kinglets

• Guadalupe Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Regulus calendula obscurus (Guadalupe, East Pacific, 20th century?)

A subspecies of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet that has not been found in recent times.

Hirundinidae – Swallows and martins

• Jamaican Golden Swallow, Tachycineta euchrysea euchrysea (Jamaica, West Indies, c. 1990?)

The nominate subspecies of the Golden Swallow

Golden Swallow (bird)

The Golden Swallow is a swallow. The Golden Swallow formerly bred on the island of Jamaica, but was last seen there in 1989 and is now restricted to the island of Hispaniola.-References:*...

, endemic to Jamaica. The last major roost-site was destroyed in 1987, and the last confirmed sighting was in 1989. May still exist in the Cockpit Country

Cockpit Country

Cockpit Country is an area in Jamaica which provided a natural defensive area used by Maroons to establish communities outside the control of Spanish or British colonialists....

, but probably extinct.

Phylloscopidae

Phylloscopidae

Phylloscopidae is a newly described family of small insectivorous birds formerly placed in the Old World warbler family. Its members occur in Eurasia, ranging into Wallacea and Africa...

– phylloscopid warbers or leaf-warblers

• Eastern Canary Islands Chiffchaff
  Eastern Canary Islands Chiffchaff
  The Eastern Canary Islands Chiffchaff or Lanzarote Island Chiffchaff was a subspecies of the Canary Islands Chiffchaff endemic to the island of Lanzarote - and possibly also Fuerteventura - in the Canary Islands, Spain....
  
  , Phylloscopus canariensis exsul (Lanzarote and possibly Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, 1986?)

A subspecies of the Canary Islands Chiffchaff

Canary Islands Chiffchaff

The Canary Islands Chiffchaff is a species of leaf warbler endemic to the Canary Islands, Spain. Sometimes the English name is spelled Canary Island Chiffchaff .- Taxonomy :...

, it became extinct in 1986 at latest, but probably much earlier, at some time in the first half of the 20th century.

Cettiidae

Cettiidae

Cettiidae is a newly validated family of small insectivorous songbirds , formerly placed in the Old World warbler "wastebin" assemblage. It contains the typical bush-warblers and their relatives. As common name, cettiid warblers is usually used.Its members occur mainly in Asia and Africa, ranging...

– cettiid warblers or typical bush-warblers

• Babar Stubtail, Urosphena subulata advena (Babar, Indonesia, mid-20th century) – Timor Stubtail
  Timor Stubtail
  The Timor Stubtail is a species of Old World warbler in the Sylviidae family.It is found in Indonesia and East Timor.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 10 July 2007....
  
   subspecies
• Western Turner's Eremomela, Eremomela turneri kalindei (Congo Basin, early 1980s)

The West African subspecies of Turner's Eremomela

Turner's Eremomela

The Turner's Eremomela is a species of Old World warbler in the Sylviidae family.It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and Uganda....

 has not been recorded since the end of the 1970s and habitat at the locations where it was once found is much reduced or destroyed. Placement in Cettiidae requires confirmation.

Acrocephalidae

Acrocephalidae

Acrocephalidae is a family of oscine passerine birds, in the superfamily Sylvioidea....

– acrocephalid warblers or marsh- and tree warblers

• Aguiguan Nightingale Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus luscinia nijoi (Aguiguan, Marianas, c. 1997)

A subspecies of the Nightingale Reed-warbler

Nightingale Reed-warbler

The Nightingale Reed-warbler is a critically endangered songbird of the Mariana Islands. The Chamorro name for the bird is ga`ga` karisu ....

 of uncertain validity.

• Astrolabe Nightingale Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus luscinia astrolabii (Marianas?, mid-19th century?)

A valid taxon, probably a subspecies of the Nightingale Reed-warbler

Nightingale Reed-warbler

The Nightingale Reed-warbler is a critically endangered songbird of the Mariana Islands. The Chamorro name for the bird is ga`ga` karisu ....

, known from just 2 specimens found at an unknown location in the western Pacific.

• Pagan Nightingale Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus luscinia yamashinae (Pagan, Marianas, 1970s)

Another doubtful subspecies of the Nightingale Reed-warbler

Nightingale Reed-warbler

The Nightingale Reed-warbler is a critically endangered songbird of the Mariana Islands. The Chamorro name for the bird is ga`ga` karisu ....

.

• Marshall Islands Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus rehsei ssp.? (Marshall Islands, Micronesia, c.1880?)

Oral tradition and some early reports mention a bird called annañ which inhabited some of the Marshall Islands. The best match is the Nauru Reed-warbler; the annañ might have been an undescribed subspecies of that species, or a distant but related species of reed-warbler.

• Laysan Millerbird
  Laysan Millerbird
  The Laysan Millerbird was a subspecies of the Millerbird, similar in appearance to the remaining subspecies, the Nihoa Millerbird. Its dorsal side was brown, and its belly was grayish...
  
  , Acrocephalus familiaris familiaris (Laysan Island, Hawaiian Islands, late 1910s)

Millerbird

Millerbird

The Millerbird is a species of Old World warbler in the family Acrocephalidae. It had two subspecies, A. f. kingi and A f. familiaris. The latter, the Laysan Millerbird, became extinct sometime between 1916 and 1923. The former, the critically endangered Nihoa Millerbird, remains the only race...

 nominate subspecies

• Huahine Polynesian Warbler, Acrocephalus caffer garretti (Huahine, Society Islands, 19th century?)

A poorly known subspecies of the Tahiti Reed-warbler.

• Raiatea Polynesian Warbler, Acrocephalus caffer musae (Raiatea, Society Islands, 19th century?)

Another subspecies of the Tahiti Reed-warbler, known only from a drawing.

Pycnonotidae – Bulbuls

• Sumatra Blue-wattled Bulbul, Pycnonotus nieuwenhuisii inexspectatus (Sumatra, Indonesia, late 20th century?)

A subspecies of the Blue-wattled Bulbul

Blue-wattled Bulbul

The Blue-wattled Bulbul is a disputed songbird species in the family Pycnonotidae. The specific epithet commemorates Dutch explorer Anton Willem Nieuwenhuis.It is found in Brunei and Indonesia...

 known from a single 1937 specimen. The entire "species" may be a hybrid.

Cisticolidae

Cisticolidae

The Cisticolidae family of small passerine birds is a group of about 110 warblers found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are often included within the Old World warbler family Sylviidae....

– Cisticolas and allies

• Northern White-winged Apalis, Apalis chariessa chariessa (Kenya, 1960s?)

The nominate subspecies of the White-winged Apalis

White-winged Apalis

The White-winged Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania....

 remains known only from the Tana River, a center of endemism. It was last recorded in 1961.

Sylviidae

Sylviidae

Sylviidae is a family of passerine birds that was part of an assemblage known as the Old World warblers. The family was formerly a wastebin taxon with over 400 species of bird in over 70 genera. The family was poorly defined with many characteristics shared with other families...

– sylviid ("true") warblers and parrotbills

• Vanua Levu Long-legged Warbler, Trichocichla rufa clunei (Vanua Levu, Fiji, late 20th century?)

A subspecies of the Long-legged Warbler

Long-legged Warbler

The Long-legged Thicketbird, Trichocichla rufa, is a small Old World warbler endemic to Fiji. The species is sometimes known as the Long-legged Warbler. It is the sole representative of the genus Trichocichla....

; it was only found once, but there was an unconfirmed sighting in 1990. Placement in Sylviidae doubtful.

• Fayyum Warbler, Sylvia melanocephala/momus norissae (Egypt, c. 1940)

A doubtfully distinct Sardinian Warbler

Sardinian Warbler

The Sardinian Warbler, Sylvia melanocephala, is a common and widespread typical warbler from the Mediterranean region.-Description:...

 subspecies.

Zosteropidae – White-eyes. Probably belong into Timaliidae

• Guam Bridled White-eye, Zosterops conspicillatus conspicillatus (Guam, Marianas, 1983)

Bridled White-eye

Bridled White-eye

The Bridled White-eye is a species of bird in the Zosteropidae family.It is endemic to the Mariana Islands, where it is today restricted to the islands of Tinian, Saipan and Aguijan in the Northern Mariana Islands...

 nominate subspecies or possibly monotypic species.

• Seychelles Chestnut-sided White-eye
  Seychelles Chestnut-sided White-eye
  The Seychelles Chestnut-sided White-eye is an extinct subspecies of the Chestnut-sided White-eye which still occurs on the Comoros island of Mayotte. At the first scientific discussion by Edward Newton in 1867 it was regarded as full species Zosterops semiflava...
  
  , Zosterops mayottensis semiflava (Marianne Island, Seychelles, late 19th century). Extinct subspecies of the Chestnut-sided White-eye
  Chestnut-sided White-eye
  The Chestnut-sided White-eye is a species of bird in the Zosteropidae family. It is now found only on Mayotte in the Comoro Islands...
  
  .

Sometimes considered as full species

• Mukojima White-eye
  Mukojima White-eye
  The Mukojima White-eye , incorrectly known as the Mukojima Honeyeater, is the extinct nominate subspecies of the Bonin White-eye . It occurred on Muko-jima and Nakodo-jima in the northern group of the Ogasawara Islands...
  
  , Apalopteron familiare familiare (Mukojima Group, Ogasawara Islands, 1930s)

Bonin White-eye

Bonin White-eye

The Bonin White-eye Apalopteron familiare or is a small yellow and grey bird endemic to the Ogasawara Islands of Japan. Until recently it was considered part of the Meliphagidae family of honeyeaters and was called the Bonin Honeyeater.A distinctive feature of the bird is the white rim around the...

 ("Bonin Honeyeater") subspecies

Timaliidae – Old World babblers

• Vanderbilt's Babbler, Malacocincla sepiarium vanderbilti (Sumatra, Indonesia, late 20th century?)

An enigmatic subspecies of the Horsfield's Babbler

Horsfield's Babbler

The Horsfield's Babbler is a species of bird in the Timaliidae family.It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand....

, known from a single specimen. Not seen since the 1940s at the latest.

• Burmese Jerdon's Babbler, Chrysomma altirostre altirostre (Myanmar, 1940s)

The nominate subspecies of Jerdon's Babbler

Jerdon's Babbler

Jerdon's Babbler is an endangered passerine bird from South Asia. Formerly placed in the Timaliidae family – hence the common name "babbler" –, the genus Chrysomma and its relatives are actually closer to the typical warblers and parrotbills in the Sylviidae.-Description:Measuring...

 was last seen in 1941, but due to the lack of recent fieldwork, it might still exist.

"African warblers

Old World warbler

The "Old World Warblers" is the name used to describe a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. The family held over 400 species in over 70 genera, and were the source of much taxonomic confusion. Two families were split out initially, the cisticolas into...

"

• Chapin's Crombec, Sylvietta leucophrys chapini (Congo Basin, late 20th century?)

A subspecies of the White-browed Crombec

White-browed Crombec

The White-browed Crombec is a species of African warbler, formerly placed in the family Sylviidae. The enigmatic Chapin's Crombec might be a distinct species, or a subspecies Sylvietta leucophrys chapini of the present species.The White-browed Crombec is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of...

, sometimes listed as a separate species. Restricted to the Lendu Plateau, it is either rare or already extinct.

Sylvioidea

Sylvioidea

Sylvioidea is a superfamily of passerine birds. It is one of at least three major clades within the Passerida along with the Muscicapoidea and Passeroidea. It contains about 1300 species including the Old World warblers, Old World babblers, swallows, larks, bulbuls and perhaps the tits...

 incertae sedis

Incertae sedis

, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...

• Amik Gölü Bearded Reedling, Panurus biarmicus kosswigi (S Turkey, 1970s)

Bearded Reedling subspecies

Troglodytidae – Wrens

• San Benedicto Rock Wren
  San Benedicto Rock Wren
  The San Benedicto Rock Wren is a small extinct passerine which was endemic to San Benedicto Island in the Revillagigedo Islands off Mexico. It was a subspecies of the Rock Wren.-Extinction:...
  
  , Salpinctes obsoletus exsul (San Benedicto, Revillagigedo Islands, 1952)

A subspecies of the Rock Wren

Rock Wren

The Rock Wren is a small songbird of the wren family. It is the only species in the genus Salpinctes.The 12 cm long adults have grey-brown upperparts with small black and white spots and pale grey underparts with a light brown rump...

 which became extinct around 9 AM, August 1, 1952, when its island habitat was devastated by a massive volcanic eruption.

• Guadalupe Bewick's Wren, Thryomanes bewickii brevicauda (Guadalupe, East Pacific, late 1890s?)

Bewick's Wren

Bewick's Wren

The Bewick's Wren is a wren native to North America. At about 14 cm long, it is grey-brown above, white below, with a long white eyebrow. While similar in appearance to the Carolina Wren, it has a long tail that is tipped in white. The song is loud and melodious, much like the song of other...

 subspecies. An extinction date of "1903" seems to be in error; the last unquestionable record is apparently of 1897.

• San Clemente Bewick's Wren, Thryomanes bewickii leucophrys (San Clemente, East Pacific, 1940s)

Another Bewick's Wren subspecies.

• Daito Winter Wren
  Daito Winter Wren
  The Daito Winter Wren is a controversial subspecies of the Winter Wren. It is known only by the type specimen, a male collected in 1938 on Minami Daitō-jima, the main island of the Daito Archipelago east of Okinawa...
  
  , Troglodytes troglodytes orii (Daito Islands, Northwest Pacific, c. 1940)

A disputed Winter Wren

Winter Wren

The Winter Wren is a very small North American bird and a member of the mainly New World wren family Troglodytidae. It was once lumped with Troglodytes pacificus of western North America and Troglodytes troglodytes of Eurasia under the name Winter Wren.It breeds in coniferous forests from British...

 subspecies; as it is known from a single specimen that may have been a vagrant individual, it is possibly invalid.

• Guadeloupe Wren, Troglodytes aedon guadeloupensis (Guadeloupe, Caribbean, late 20th century?)

Found in 1914, 1969, 1970s; very rare or already extinct. Taxonomy unresolved. Part of the House Wren

House Wren

The House Wren, Troglodytes aedon, is a very small songbird of the wren family, Troglodytidae. It occurs from Canada to southernmost South America, and is thus the most widely distributed bird in the Americas. It occurs in most suburban areas in its range and it is the single most common wren...

 complex; other scientific names include T. musculus guadeloupensis and T. guadeloupensis

• Martinique Wren, Troglodytes aedon martinicensis (Martinique, Caribbean, c. 1890)

Last found in 1886. Another House Wren

House Wren

The House Wren, Troglodytes aedon, is a very small songbird of the wren family, Troglodytidae. It occurs from Canada to southernmost South America, and is thus the most widely distributed bird in the Americas. It occurs in most suburban areas in its range and it is the single most common wren...

 complex taxon; other scientific names include T. musculus martinicensis and T. martinicensis.

Petroicidae

Petroicidae

The bird family Petroicidae includes roughly 45 species in about 15 genera. All are endemic to Australasia: New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand and numerous Pacific Islands as far east as Samoa. For want of an accurate common name, the family is often called the Australasian robins. Within the...

– Australasian Robins
Paridae – Tits, chickadees and titmice

• Daito Varied Tit
  Daito Varied Tit
  The Daito Varied Tit is an extinct subspecies of the Varied Tit. It was formerly found on Kita Daitō-jima and Minami Daitō-jima in the Daitō group east of the Okinawa Islands, but became extinct around 1940. It seems that the last specimens collected were Kuroda's types taken in 1922, and that the...
  
  , Poecile varia orii (Daito Islands, Northwest Pacific, c. 1940)

A Varied Tit

Varied Tit

The Varied Tit is a perching bird from the tit family, Paridae. It occurs in eastern Asia in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and locally in northeastern China and extreme southeastern Russia .- Description :It is 12–14 cm long and weighs 16–18 g. The wing length is 6.0–7.8 cm. In the nominate race P. v...

 subspecies, variously placed in genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 Sittiparus and Parus also. Not found in subsequent surveys in 1984 and 1986.

• Zagros Coal Tit, Periparus ater phaeonotus (Zagros Mountains
  Zagros Mountains
  The Zagros Mountains are the largest mountain range in Iran and Iraq. With a total length of 1,500 km , from northwestern Iran, and roughly correlating with Iran's western border, the Zagros range spans the whole length of the western and southwestern Iranian plateau and ends at the Strait of...
  
  , South-western Iran)

A Coal Tit

Coal Tit

The Coal Tit, Periparus ater, is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder throughout temperate to subtropical Eurasia and northern Africa. The Spot-winged Tit The Coal Tit, Periparus ater, is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a...

 subspecies, only known by the type specimen from 1870

Cinclidae – Dippers

• Cyprus Dipper
  Cyprus Dipper
  The Cyprus Dipper was endemic to Cyprus. It was a stream wader in the montane forests of the island. This insectivorous bird was last observed ca. 1950 on Cyprus. It disappeared after deforestation....
  
  , Cinclus cinclus olympicus (Cyprus, Northeast Mediterranean, 1950s)

A subspecies of the White-throated Dipper

White-throated Dipper

The White-throated Dipper , also known as the European Dipper or just Dipper is an aquatic passerine bird found in Europe, Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. The species is divided into several subspecies, based primarily on colour differences, particularly of the pectoral band...

 of questionable validity.

Muscicapidae – Old World Flycatchers and chats

• Tonkean Henna-tailed Jungle Flycatcher, Rhinomyias colonus subsolanus (Sulawesi, Indonesia, late 20th century?)

A Henna-tailed Jungle Flycatcher subspecies that is known from a single specimen; it may not be valid.

• Chinijo Chat, Saxicola dacotiae murielae (Chinijo Archipelago, Canary Islands, early 20th century)

Fuerteventura Chat

Fuerteventura Chat

The Canary Islands Stonechat , also known as the Fuerteventura Stonechat or Fuerteventura Chat, and formerly known as the Canary Islands Chat due to its once widespread distribution on the Canary Islands...

 subspecies

Turdidae – Thrushes and allies

• Norfolk Island Thrush, Turdus poliocephalus poliocephalus (Norfolk Island, Southwest Pacific, c. 1975)

Island Thrush

Island Thrush

The Island Thrush is a common forest bird in the thrush family. Almost 50 subspecies have been described, ranging from Taiwan, through South East Asia and Melanesia, to Samoa, exhibiting great differences in plumage...

 subspecies

• Maré Island Thrush, Turdus poliocephalus mareensis (Maré, Melanesia, early 20th century)

Another subspecies of the Island Thrush, last collected in 1911 or 1912 and not found anymore in 1939.

• Lord Howe Island Thrush
  Lord Howe Island Thrush
  The Lord Howe Island Thrush , also known as Vinous-tinted Thrush or Vinous-tinted blackbird, is an extinct subspecies of the Island Thrush...
  
  , Turdus poliocephalus vinitinctus (Lord Howe Island, Southwest Pacific, 1920s)

Yet another Island Thrush subspecies

• Lifou Island Thrush, Turdus poliocephalus pritzbueri (Lifou, Melanesia, early 20th century)

Yet another subspecies of the Island Thrush. Similar birds still exist on Tanna, New Hebrides, but given the fact that the species readily differentiates into subspecies and that the distance between Tanna and Lifou is considerable, it is far from certain that the Tanna birds belong to this subspecies.

• Peleng Red-and-black Thrush, Zoothera mendeni mendeni (Peleng, Indonesia, mid-20th century?)

Red-and-black Thrush

Red-and-black Thrush

The Peleng Thrush , also known as the Red-and-black Thrush, is a species of bird in the Turdidae family. It is endemic to forests on the Indonesian islands of Taliabu and Peleng, where threatened by habitat loss. Traditionally, it has been considered a subspecies of the Red-backed...

 nominate subspecies

• Kibale Black-eared Ground-thrush, Zoothera camaronensis kibalensis (SW Uganda, late 20th century?)

A Black-eared Ground-thrush

Black-eared Ground-thrush

The Black-eared Ground-thrush is a species of bird in the Turdidae family. It is found in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.The...

 subspecies known only from two 1966 specimens. Rare or possibly already extinct.

• Choiseul Russet-tailed Thrush, Zoothera heinei choiseuli (Choiseul, Solomon Islands, mid-20th century?)

A subspecies of the Russet-tailed Thrush

Russet-tailed Thrush

The Russet-tailed Thrush is a species of bird in the Turdidae family, closely related to the more widespread Bassian Thrush .It is endemic to Australia....

 known from a single specimen found in 1924 and probably killed off by introduced cats, most likely in the 1940s.

• St Lucia Forest Thrush, Cichlherminia lherminieri sanctaeluciae (St Lucia, West Indies, 1980s)

A subspecies of the Forest Thrush

Forest Thrush

The Forest Thrush is a species of bird in the Turdidae family. It is the sole species within the genus Cichlherminia....

, last seen in 1980.

• Pines Solitaire, Myadestes elisabeth retrusus (Isla de la Juventud, West Indies, late 1930s?)

A subspecies of the Cuban Solitaire

Cuban Solitaire

The Cuban Solitaire , also known as the Cuban nightingale, is a species of bird in the Turdidae family.It is endemic to Cuba.Its natural habitat is montane moist forests.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...

. Unconfirmed records suggest it did still exist in the early 1970s.

Mimidae – Mockingbirds and thrashers

• Barbados Scaly-breasted Thrasher, Allenia fusca atlantica (Barbados, West Indies, c. 1990)

Scaly-breasted Thrasher

Scaly-breasted Thrasher

The Scaly-breasted Thrasher is a species of bird in the Mimidae family found in the Caribbean Lesser Antilles. It was formerly united with the Pearly-eyed Thrasher in Margarops but now is again placed in the monotypic genus Allenia.It is found in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada,...

 subspecies

Estrildidae – Estrildid finches (waxbills, munias, etc.)

• Southern Star Finch, Neochmia ruficauda ruficauda (Australia, c. 2000)

A subspecies of the Star Finch

Star Finch

The Star Finch is a species of estrildid finch found in Australia. It inhabits dry grassland and dry savanna habitats.-Subspecies:It has three subspecies:...

; officially critically endangered

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

 but probably recently extinct. Not known to survive in captivity.

Fringillidae – True finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers

• San Benito House Finch, Carpodacus mexicanus mcgregori (San Benito, East Pacific, c. 1940s)

House Finch

House Finch

The House Finch is a bird in the finch family Fringillidae, which is found in North America. This species and the other "American rosefinches" are usually placed in the rosefinch genus Carpodacus...

 subspecies

• Lanaʻi ʻAlauahio, Paroreomyza Montana montana (Lanaʻi, Hawaiian Islands, 1937)

A subspecies of the Maui ʻAlauahio (or properly Maui Nui ʻAlauahio).

• Maui ʻAkepa, Loxops coccineus ochraceus (Maui, Hawaiian Islands, 1988)

[[ʻAkepa]] subspecies

• Oʻahu ʻAkepa, Loxops coccineus wolstenholmei (Oʻahu, Hawaiian Islands, 1990s)

Another ʻAkepa subspecies

• Laysan ʻApapane, Himatione (sanguinea) freethi (Laysan Island, Hawaiian Islands, 1923)

The last individuals of this subspecies of the [[ʻApapane]], possibly a distinct species, disappeared in a sandstorm, probably on the night of April 23/April 24, 1923.

Icteridae – Grackles

• Grand Cayman Oriole, Icterus leucopteryx bairdi (Grand Cayman, West Indies, mid-20th century)

A subspecies of the Jamaican Oriole

Jamaican Oriole

The Jamaican Oriole is a species of bird in the Icteridae family. It is found in Jamaica and on the Colombian island of San Andrés...

, last reliably recorded in 1938.

Parulidae – New World warblers

• New Providence Yellowthroat, Geothlypis rostrata rostrata (New Providence, Bahamas, 1990?)

The nominate subspecies of the Bahama Yellowthroat

Bahama Yellowthroat

The Bahama Yellowthroat, Geothlypis rostrata, is a New World warbler. It is a resident breeder endemic to the Bahamas.It is closely related to Common Yellowthroat, Altamira Yellowthroat and Belding's Yellowthroat, with which it forms a superspecies, and was formerly considered conspecific.The...

 is either almost or completely extinct.

Thraupidae – Tanagers

• Gonâve Western Chat-tanager, Calyptophilus tertius abbotti (Gonâve, West Indies, c. 1980?)

A Western Chat-tanager

Western Chat-tanager

The Western Chat-tanager is a passerine bird belonging to the tanager family, Thraupidae. It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola in the West Indies. It was formerly regarded as a subspecies of the Eastern Chat-tanager but is now usually considered to be a separate species...

 subspecies last recorded in 1977 and probably extinct.

• Samaná Eastern Chat-tanager, Calyptophilus frugivorus frugivorus (E Hispaniola, West Indies, 1980s?)

An Eastern Chat-tanager

Eastern Chat-tanager

The Eastern Chat-tanager is a species of bird in the Thraupidae family.It is found on the island of Hispaniola where it is now restricted to central and southern parts of the Dominican Republic. It formerly also occurred on the Samaná Peninsula as well as on Gonâve Island in Haiti...

 subspecies; the last (unconfirmed?) record was in 1982.

• Darwin's Large Ground-finch, Geospiza magnirostris magnirostris (Floreana?, Galapagos Islands, 1957?)

The subspecies of the Large Ground-finch

Large Ground-finch

The Large Ground Finch is a species of bird. One of Darwin's finches, it is now placed in the family Thraupidae and was formerly in the Emberizidae. It is endemic to the Galapagos Islands, and is found in the arid zone of most of the archipelago, though it is absent from the southeastern islands...

 collected by Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin

Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...

 in 1835; he gave no precise locality. A similar bird was found in 1957, but no others have ever been seen.

• Saint Kitts Bullfinch, Loxigilla portoricensis grandis (Saint Kitts and prehistorically Barbuda, West Indies, 1930)

Puerto Rican Bullfinch

Puerto Rican Bullfinch

The Puerto Rican Bullfinch or Comeñame in Spanish, is a small Bullfinch tanager endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico and one of 3 species belonging to the genus Loxigilla. These were formerly considered Emberizidae....

 subspecies

Emberizidae

Emberizidae

The Emberizidae are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill.In Europe, most species are called buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the sparrows, the...

– Buntings and American sparrows

• Todos Santos Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Aimophila ruficeps sanctorum (Islas Todos Santos, E Pacific, 1970s)

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

The Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Aimophila ruficeps, is a smallish American sparrow. This passerine is primarily found across the Southwestern United States and much of the interior of Mexico, south to the transverse mountain range, and to the Pacific coast to the southwest of the transverse range. Its...

 subspecies

• Santa Barbara Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia graminea (Santa Barbara Island, late 1960s). Last seen in 1967, became extinct due to a severe wild fire in 1959 and subsequent feral cat predation. Officially declared extinct by the USFWS in 1983.
• Dusky Seaside Sparrow
  Dusky Seaside Sparrow
  The Dusky Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus nigrescens, was a non-migratory subspecies of the Seaside Sparrow, found in Southern Florida in the natural salt marshes of Merritt Island and along the St. Johns River...
  
  , Ammodramus maritimus nigrescens (Florida, 1987)

Seaside Sparrow

Seaside Sparrow

The Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus, is a small American sparrow. The 11 Ammodramus species inhabit marshes and grasslands.Adults have brownish upperparts with grey on the crown and nape, and a grayish buff colored breast with dark streaks; they have a dark face with grey cheeks, a white...

 subspecies

• Guadalupe Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus consobrinus (Guadalupe Island, East Pacific, c. 1900)

Spotted Towhee

Spotted Towhee

The Spotted Towhee is a large New World sparrow. The taxonomy of the towhees has been debated in recent decades, and formerly this bird and the Eastern Towhee were considered a single species, the Rufous-sided Towhee...

 subspecies

See also

• Dinosaur
  Dinosaur
  Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
  
  s
• Flightless birds
• Fossil birds
  Fossil birds
  Birds are generally believed to have evolved from certain feathered theropod dinosaurs, and there is no real dividing line between birds and dinosaurs, except of course that some of the former survived the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event while the latter did not. For the purposes of this...
  
  
• Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
  Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
  Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
  
  
• Lazarus species
• List of bird extinctions by year
• List of extinct animals
• Origin of birds

External links

• The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
• Extinct Birds Stock Photography
• Extinct Birds from John James Audubon's Birds of America
• New Zealand Extinct Birds List
• The Extinction Website
• Naturalis Extinct Birds: 3D images of extinct bird species in the collection of the National Museum of Natural History (Leiden, Netherlands).