List of extinct bird species since 1500

About 216 species of birds have become extinct since 1500, with increasing extinction rates due to human-caused influences such as habitat loss, the introduction of invasive species, and climate change. Currently there are approximately 10,000 living species of birds, with over 1,480 at risk of extinction and 223 critically endangered.

Island species in general, and flightless island species in particular, are most at risk. The situation is exemplified by Hawaii, where 30% of all known recently extinct bird taxa originally lived, and Guam, which lost over 60% of its native bird taxa in the decades following the introduction of the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis). The disproportionate number of extinctions in rails 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.

The extinction dates given below are usually the dates of the last verified record (credible observation or specimen taken), which are approximations of the actual date of extinction. For many Pacific birds that became extinct shortly after European colonization, however, this leaves an uncertainty period of over 100 years, because the islands on which they lived were only rarely visited by scientists. In certain unusual cases, it is possible to pinpoint the date of extinction to a specific year or even day; the San Benedicto rock wren represents an extreme example where its extinction could be timed with an accuracy of maybe half an hour coinciding with the eruption of Bárcena.

The year 1500 serves as one common threshold of the "modern" era in which species are described scientifically, extinctions are monitored, and globalization has led to increased pressure on species. Taxa which became extinct pre-1500 are listed in List of Late Quaternary prehistoric bird species; prominent examples include the elephant birds (Aepyornis) and moa.