We present an overview of the globally threatened wild bird species, their distribution, threats and directions to mitigate pressures. Regions with the highest numbers of threatened birds include Asia, South America and Africa. When looking at the proportion of a region's avifauna endangered, however, Antarctica and New Zealand have exceptionally high proportions of their birds threatened. Sea and coastal birds, parrots, game species and raptors also have large fractions of species threatened. Despite many initiatives, most species continue in population decline due to threats, mainly caused by anthropic pressures, although there are success stories. Countries need to establish/improve joint public policies aimed at bird conservation.
