Given below is a list of the most endangered bird species of India, some of which are in a highly critical state –

• White-bellied heron (Ardea insignis)
• Great Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps)
• Forest owlet (Athene blewitti)
• Baer’s pochard (Aythya baeri)
• Spoon-billed sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea)
• Siberian crane (Grus leucogeranus)
• White-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis)
• Indian vulture (Gyps indicus)
• Slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris)
• Bengal florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis)
• Himalayan quail (Ophrysia superciliosa)
• Jerdon’s courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus)
• Pink-headed duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea)
• Red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus)
• Sociable lapwing (Vanellus gregarius)
• Bugun liocichla (Liocichla bugunorum)

• One of the major threats faced by birds is from the loss as well as deterioration of their habitat. Trees are being felled at a rapid pace to make way for human settlements as well as agricultural activities. Even aquatic habitats are being drained, plowed, filled in, and channelized. Last but not the least, the introduction of invasive plant and animal species is also altering the natural habitat of birds.
• Birds are also facing increased competition from one another. Especially the native species of birds are finding it difficult to cope up with the exotic species.
• The direct exploitation of birds by humans is reaching alarming proportions. Human activities, such as hunting and capturing birds, are leading to a rapid decline in the bird population.
• Birds are highly sensitive to chemicals and toxins and can become fatally sick from inhaling them, either by eating or through their skin. It has been found out that, along with DDT, pesticides and oil spills, even herbicide spraying on lawns leads to death of the birds.
• Even indirect pollution of the atmosphere is having an effect on the population of birds. Things like acid rain have been discovered to affect the population of forest birds. It washes away the calcium of the soil and decreases the amount of calcium-rich prey of the birds, affecting their diet and thus, their population.
• The nesting, feeding, and roosting areas of birds have faced a lot of disturbance from the human beings, affecting their population.