
Overview
Around 200 species around the world are listed by IUCN as Critically Endangered, the highest class of extinction risk. A further 400 are listed as Endangered.
RSPB researchers work directly on around 40 of these threatened species, from the northern rockhopper penguin of the southern oceans to Gurney’s pitta in the humid forests of south-east Asia. We support work on many more.
Less threatened, but perhaps better known, are Europe’s migrant birds, whose severe population declines are the subject of much RSPB research. Working together with local researchers and BirdLife Partners, we are helping to improve the status of these species so they are less likely to become extinct.
We do this through a combination of diagnostic research and the scientific application of appropriate conservation measures.