Endangered Species of Birds in the United States: Critically Threatened Birds of America

There are several endangered species of birds found on occasion in America. Threatened mainly by habitat loss, some are critically endangered, and may soon be extinct.

For wildlife conservationists, preserving endangered species of animals is of immediate concern. Human habits are causing some species of birds to lose precious habitat, which could ultimately result in the downfall of these particular animals. Below are some of the most endangered species of extant birds in America.

California Condor, an Endangered Species of Bird

The largest species of New World Vulture in North America (though significantly smaller than South America's Andean Condor), the California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) has an average length of about 46 inches, an average wingspan of just over 9 feet, and an average weight of 23 lbs. Once it soared over much of the United States and Northern Mexico, but now this threatened bird is found only in a few select places in the Southwest. California Condors in Grand Canyon National Park are somewhat stable due to a reintroduction program.

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Kirtland's Warbler, One of the Rarest Birds

The Kirtland's Warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii) was almost wiped out a few decades ago due to loss of habitat. It requires large expanses of jack-pine forest, and this bird presently breeds exclusively in a pine forested area in Northern Michigan. The Kirtland's Warbler may be able to make a recovery, as its population has been more stable in recent years, but its numbers are still dangerously low.

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Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, Declining in Number

The Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) of the Southeast is becoming rarer and rarer. It requires uninterrupted expanses of pine forest to survive, and due to logging and human expansion, vast forested habitats are being destroyed. The possibly-extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker shared much of the same territory, and deforestation, resulting in breaks in the forest, may have destroyed this larger woodpecker. A smaller woodpecker, the Red-Cockaded looks similar to the Downy and Hairy woodpeckers.

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Whooping Crane, a Very Rare Bird

The Whooping Crane (Grus americana) is the tallest bird in the United States, with a length of 52 inches. It weighs about 15 lbs, and is white, with some red areas on the face. According to The Sibley Guide to Birds, there were about 200 whooping cranes left in the wild in 2000, and some recent conservation reports indicate that there may have been as many as 340 wild individuals at a time over the last few years. Members of this endangered species of bird migrate between Texas and West Canada, but they can be found in other places, like Florida (which has a small year-round population) and the Midwest.

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There are other endangered species of birds that are critically endangered to the point that they are feared extinct, such as the Bachman's Warbler, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and the Eskimo Curlew. Hopefully the birds mentioned in the article will not follow in the footsteps of these birds.