20 Rarest Birds In The World

Birds. They're something that many of you see on a regular basis and you don't think about much. Or they're a pet that you may have and you do your best to take care of them each day. Or they're something you study because you're an ornithologist and you really think that birds are all that and a bag of bird chips. Either way, birds exist and they sometimes come in flocks of millions that are all over the world. But given how big this world is, there are obviously some lesser known birds that you don't know about. Here now are the 20 rarest birds in the world. 20. African Jacana To begin, we'll head to Africa and talk about a bird known as the African Jacana. These unusual wading birds are identified by their long legs and extremely long slim toes and claws, which enable them to distribute their weight evenly, thereby allowing them to walk across water on thin and flimsy floating vegetation. This is not unlike a trick that certain bugs use to cross the water, so it's not surprising that a bird would pick up on that trick as well. But seriously, look at those feet for a moment. Yikes! Freddy Krueger would be jealous of those birds and their claws. But if you think that's impressive, you need to only listen to them get an even bigger dose of their personality. African Jacanas are very vocal birds using a selection of raucous shrieks, moans, and almost barking noises. Just what we need, a bird that can bark. That's not intimidating at all. As for food, their preferred diet consists of freshwater insects and larvae, spiders, crustaceans, and mollusks. Not unlike any other birds of opportunity, they're not afraid to go and pick things up like bugs off the backs of animals in need like hippos. They get a meal, and the hippos don't have to deal with the bugs, so it's a win-win. Now if you're wondering where to find this bird outside of just saying Africa, you'll see them in Senegal, Southern Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Southern Chad, Southern Sudan, and Ethiopia. And as noted, they like walking across the water, so you won't exactly find them near jungle areas or anywhere near a desert. This is definitely an interesting bird that shows how birds don't look all the same, and we're just getting started with this list. 19. Hawaiian Crow Next up we have the Hawaiian Crow. Want to take a guess where you'll find this bird? Shouldn't take you more than three times to try. Regardless, I don't want to talk about what makes this bird so special right off the bat, mainly because it's one of the few animals in existence, especially in regards to birds, that are known to use actual tools. Think about that for a moment. Usually when I say animals using tools, you may think of something like a gorilla, because those have been known for getting tools made and using them well. But a crow? Well, that's definitely something different. Specifically though, the Hawaiian Crow is able to use a stick to get food out of a hole. It's a simple trick, but it's one that clearly works. Here's the catch though, they apparently understand how to do this inherently. As in, the children of the crows don't need to be shown this or guided by the adults on how to do it, they just simply do it. Which is very much not how this is supposed to work with birds. Now I'm not saying we're in full Alfred Hitchcock mode here, but it is leaning toward that path. Most of its diet consists of small invertebrates, such as snails, arachnids, and isopods, who have foraged from trunks and foliage and branches. Their intelligence goes well beyond the use of tools though, and into how they use their voices. Their cacophony of riotous sounds, which include screeches, howls, and burbling, conveys information to surrounding birds about the presence of nearby threats or friendly relations. Sadly though, for this bird, the reason that it's a rare one isn't just its abilities, but the fact that it's extinct in the wild. Meaning that humans are the only reason they're alive in the world currently. Hopefully, that changes sooner rather than later. 18. The Cebu Flowerpecker Now if you were hoping for a slightly more positive bird to talk about due to how the last one ended, you'd be out of luck sadly. Because the Cebu Flowerpecker is another bird that's rare, not just because of what it is, but also because of where it's found. The first part of its name, Cebu, is a reference to the island in the Philippines where it exists. But that's also part of the problem. That island was once a lush area with forests, but now, due to various elements, which includes human expansion, its natural environment is almost gone. But how bad is it, you may ask? Well, only about 0.03% of the island's forests remain intact today. Just think about that, that's barely above 1 100th of a percent, which is definitely not how that island began, and all the creatures that used to live in that forest were no doubt devastated because of the change. Which is why preservation and conservation are so important for Cebu as a whole, as they want preserve the creatures like the Cebu Flowerpecker to ensure that extinction doesn't occur to them. Except that they can't fully know where it lives or where it doesn't. It was once declared extinct by the islanders until it was again discovered in 1992. There are so few of them that are left, that much of the knowledge about this bird is speculative as there isn't one in captivity for people to study. There are projects that are going on to try and find and help reproduce them, but it's not an easy thing to do. Hopefully there are strides made, because the more life that is extinct in this world, the more likely that things will get worse and worse due to a cascade effect. It may seem like losing one bird isn't much, but when that loss leads to another and then another, well, nobody wins. 17. Forest Owlet Not to be confused with the grass-type Pokemon Rowlet, just to be clear. It was likely an inspiration for the Pocket Monster. The Forest Owlet is endemic to the forests of central India, which you would think would be a good thing as India is rather huge, but once again, that's not the case at all. It's listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List since 2018, as the population is estimated to be less than 1,000 mature individuals. It's threatened foremost by deforestation, which as we've made clear many times, is mostly caused by humans. Animals need their homes to survive, but as humans expand, it causes problems for the wildlife in these areas, and the Forest Owlet is no different. In fact, because of how low its numbers have been over the years, it too was considered extinct for about 113 years. That's right, it was gone in 1884, but then found again in 1997. That's a long time for a bird to be missing in action and then be found again. It just goes to show you how much birdwatching has grown over the decades. One of the more interesting things about the Forest Owlet is how it tries to woo its potential mate. It will actually go to a female and offer it a lot of food in the form of dead rodents. If she accepts it, then they mate, but if she doesn't, well, why let the food go to waste, right? The male eats it and then tries to mate with someone else. Who doesn't like that kind of thoroughness? The Male Owlet has a plan whether or not he succeeds or fails, so take note men of the world. Seriously though, would you want that kind of smart owl to be gone from the planet? I don't think so. 16. Great Indian Bustard Now, I'm just going to break kayfabe here for a moment. When this video was being written, somebody in the chain changed a key letter in Bustard and created a much, much different word if you get my drift. But thankfully it was caught before writing this entry and now here we are. The Great Indian Bustard is a large terrestrial bird usually found in India and Pakistan. It has a horizontal body and long bare legs giving it an ostrich-like appearance. The bird is amongst the heaviest of all flying birds, which is actually a really unique indicator if you think about it because most flying birds are supposed to be light enough that they can fly with great speed. Even ones like eagles and falcons at times don't weigh as much as you would think they do, but that's another story entirely. Another way to find this bird is its black cap that it has on its head. Oh, and when it decides to make a call to the other birds, it has a pouch that it inflates to help ensure that it gets enough birds heard. It's quite a visual if you ask me. Great Indian Bustards are omnivores that prefer to feed on insects and beetles. They'll also eat grass seeds, berries, rodents, and reptiles. And if they're in farm areas, they'll sometimes eat certain exposed crops that they can find. So they clearly don't mind eating whatever's available so long as it's appetizing to them, something that all of us would appreciate no doubt. If that's still not enough for you, well the Great Indian Bustard is also polygamous. You know, as in the males take on many mates. They get really intricate in showing off their skills as well. Some birds have all the luck, don't they? Well, that's a joke. Mostly. 15. California Condor While definitely not one of the prettiest birds you're ever going to see on this list, I can't deny that the California Condor is one of the more unique ones of the world, and one of the most rare due to how many are still around today. Condor numbers have dramatically declined in the 20th century due to agricultural chemicals, poaching, lead poisoning, and habitat destruction. It's all very sad, yet very familiar of a story for sure. Thankfully though, there was a plan that was put into place that allowed them to be repopulated and put back into the wild via Northern Arizona. As of 2020, there are over 500 of these birds back in existence between those in the wild and those that are currently in captivity. It's not a whole lot on the grand scale, but it's much better than being extinct. Going to the more scary side of nature, California Condors are carrion eaters. You know, like as in, they eat the dead. What's more, they're willing to have a home range of about 160 miles, all in order to find their next meal. Sometimes they go that distance every day in order to ensure that they eat. That's some kind of dedication, and it's also proof that hunger drives us at all times. Being a bit more serious though, California Condors are a very sacred animal to certain Native American tribes, and so it's good that repopulation efforts are underway. 14. Northern Bald Ibis I do apologize if some of these bird descriptions are making you depressed, but it's important to note that rare, in the case of the animal kingdom, often means endangered, and not just, well, you're not going to see that often. The Northern Bald Ibis is an example of both, ironically enough, as most of its colonies can be found near Morocco and Syria. The problem, though, is that combined, these colonies only amount to about 500 plus birds. Thus, they are another critically endangered species. Which is honestly a tremendous shame for the simple fact that this bird has a very elegant look to it via its black plumage and bronze green and violet colors throughout its wings. It makes it a particularly beautiful and recognizable bird, and thus, it should be one that's seen more often and appreciated, not just seen so they can be preserved and made whole again. 15. Mating In terms of mating, they actually mate when they're rather young, with some of them being documented as only 3 years old when mating begins. Then again, considering how often they live, to only about 15 years at max, they might feel the urge to begin reproducing sooner rather than later. I kid you not, we learned about what the Northern Bald Ibis eats by studying its fecal matter. Yuck! However, it did tell us that predominantly in its diet exists lizards and beetles. Although small mammals and ground-nesting birds, along with invertebrates like snails, scorpions, spiders, and caterpillars are also part of what it eats. Hopefully, its population is able to recover in due time. 13. Black Stilt For another really critically endangered bird, you have to head to New Zealand, where a Black Stilt can sometimes be found. Sometimes you ask? Well yes, that would be because the Black Stilt only had about 169 living birds over 2 years ago. Hopefully, those numbers have gone up since then, but sadly, nobody knows in full. The adults of the species have distinctive black plumage, long pink legs, and a long, thin black bill. Needless to say, it's a look that really makes them stand out. I mean, come on! There are thin legs, and then there are birds that are named after stilts. That's really super thin! Breeding is obviously one of the most important parts for this species right now, as many are trying to get their numbers back up, but it's a hard-going thing, especially since in the wild, they tend to mate in only one place. A captive population of the Black Stilts are maintained for breeding and subsequent wild release at a rearing facility in Twizel, maintained by the Department of Conservation, and at the Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust in Christchurch. Every year, they go and take the eggs of the Black Stilts, and then rear them so that they can hopefully be able to put into the wild and create more. It may sound painstaking, but this is the only real way to try and get through this work. And without help like this, they would have gone extinct a long time ago. Yet ironically, the greatest threat to the Black Stilt aren't humans this time around. It's just that the invasive species that have arrived on New Zealand. So even when it's not our fault, well, it's still kind of our fault. 12. Christmas Frigate Bird No, you cannot get one for Christmas. But with that being said, if you were to go to the aptly named place of Christmas Island, you would find the Christmas Frigate Bird. When you do see it, you're in for a true feast of the eyes due to its size. It's one of the largest frigate birds, thanks to a wingspan of over seven feet. The male has an egg-shaped white patch on his belly and a striking red galar sac, which he inflates to attract a mate. A recurring theme with certain birds, if you've been paying attention so far. The female is slightly larger than the male and has a white breast and belly. When it comes to food, this is where things get both interesting and disgusting all at the same time. Because the Christmas Frigate Bird has two different ways to eat. The first is the more basic option. And by that, I mean that it'll fly over the ocean and catch fish. Very simple and very understandable. However, when they're in a bit of a pinch, they'll actually go and bully other birds. Not to make them drop their food that they've caught, but rather to make them throw up the food that they've already eaten. Yes, the Christmas Frigate Bird will actually eat the food that was in a bird's stomach. It's gross on so many levels, and yet everyone seems fine with it. Now you know why many birds are called filthy by humans. 11. Imperial Amazon We know what you're thinking, and the answer is no. The Imperial Amazon is not housed in the Amazon rainforest. Near are they sacred as a bird of the legendary all-female Amazon warrior tribe. Sorry to burst your bubble twice over. Rather, you'll find this bird on the island of Dominica in the Caribbean. So it is a cool bird to see if you're up for an island vacation. And it would definitely be worth it due to how colorful the bird is. Males and females have identical plumage. The chest is a dark shade of purple, and the upper parts and feathers are a dark shade of green, with black edged feather tips. There are also mixes of orange and red within the bird's plumage, so you really get the rainbow effect going on there. It's also kind of tall for its species, being about 20 inches in height. And thankfully, it's a simple eater. It likes to consume fruits, seeds, nuts, berries, blossoms, and palm shoots. What's more, that beak that it has is meant to be flexible enough to move things around in its mouth so that it can eat better. But sadly, once again, it's a critically endangered species. But there are conservation efforts out there to try and save it, and for that, everyone should be grateful. 10. Spix's Macaw We'll continue with our talk of beautiful birds, because the Spix's Macaw is next on the list, and it might just be the most beautiful bird that I've ever seen, on this video at least. Just look at the majestic shade of blue that it has. The bird itself is almost extinct, and extinct in the wild, and it's also not going to help that the Spix's Macaw has been lost, found, misidentified, and moreover, the course of its life. The Spix's Macaw succumbed to the persistent habitat loss and illegal poaching for the wild bird trade, and if you think that this is familiar, you might recall the two Rio movies about a rare blue macaw that was indeed wanted for breeding. That movie helped to raise awareness, and thus conservation efforts as well. If only it were that easy for the rest of the birds of the world. 9. Potoo Yes, I know that's a funny name for a bird, but don't let it fool you, as the Potoo are also known for their very haunting calls that they'll make in the wild. You have been warned. Plus, they also look weird. The Potoo is widely distributed in Southern Central America and throughout the lowlands of Northern and Central South America, though loss of their habitats is starting to seriously affect the population numbers. One thing that makes them very different from most birds is that like owls, they hunt at night. They feast on insects that they find and are quite good in the air, which is very bad for the insects that they hunt. Then in the daytime, they'll find a place to perch on and stay still no matter what. It's very odd indeed. 8. Tufted Puffin The Puffin is a bird that many of you are likely familiar with, but the Tufted Puffin is sadly on this list because it too has faced many issues with population numbers. For example, you used to be able to find the Tufted Puffin in multiple parts of California, but ones in the southern parts are basically all gone, and the ones in the north don't have the numbers that they used to. Not good on any level. Alaska's numbers are said to be okay, but that might actually not be accurate. On the more biological side of things, the Tufted Puffin is a bird that can fly well once it actually gets into the air. It's one of the few birds that can actually struggle to take off, and it needs a lot of effort in order to get airborne. 7. Hoatzins Now, I've made fun of a few birds on this list because of the way they look or perhaps their abilities, but with the Hoatzin, they're apparently a bird class all unto itself because of how awkward it is. Unlike another bird I've talked about, you'll honestly find this one deep within the Amazon rainforest, and it's been labeled a genetic mystery due to how weird people think the bird acts and looks. For example, in terms of looks, it resembles many different kinds of birds mashed together. But can it fly? Well, yes, but it's not exactly good at it. It's almost as if the bird is trying to be a bird and then failing. This is partially because they're evolved from dinosaurs, but apparently still have certain dinosaur traits within them, which includes wing claws that they have when they're younger. Oh, and did I mention they only eat leaves? It's really weird, and they're the only bird species to do that. 6. Kakapo Moving on to a slightly less weird bird with a name that I probably pronounced incorrectly, we look at the Kakapo. Take one look at this bird, and you'll see part of where the slightly comes in. Because while it is a parrot, it doesn't look like the others we've seen. Also, it's a nocturnal parrot, which isn't something you hear all that often. But the really weird part, it's also a flightless parrot, something that nobody even knew could exist before doing the research for this video. It's native to New Zealand, living in island forests, and is also critically endangered. Currently, there's a huge effort by New Zealanders to save it from extinction, which is good for multiple reasons, not the least of which is that this is a very long-lasting bird in terms of lifespan. So they have opportunities with this bird to truly save it, and have many opportunities to do so. 5. Keel-billed Toucan Look everyone, it's Toucan Sam. Well, not really, but it's definitely a member of his family, minus the love of, uh, artificial cereal, obviously. The keel-billed toucan is not as endangered as other birds that we've seen, thank goodness. So we'll focus on its features of the bird, mainly that being its beak, which is how it sticks out compared to others within its family. It's not only colorful, but it also takes up a third of its body length, and yet it's also very light. Also hollow and quite strong. So strong, in fact, that if it finds a fruit hanging off of a plant, it'll actually snip it off and toss it into the air, and then swallow it whole. Oh, and it spits up the seeds for its nest at times. 4. Ribbon-tailed Astropia Found in one of the more biodiverse places of the world via Papua New Guinea, the ribbon-tailed astropia is easily one of the more visually striking birds that we've seen thus far, due to its tail that does indeed look like two strands of ribbons coming down. Plus, as you can see, they have a really good length to them. In fact, it's said that some of them can actually grow to be over three feet long, and that's just in the tail, also known as plumes. But that's part of the problem, because these kinds of tails and or plumes are so rare that these birds are being hunted down for them. Which, for this bird, makes them nearly threatened. If you were worried there for a minute, I did say nearly threatened. They're not exactly threatened yet, but this and their habitat being hurt isn't making it easy on them. 3. Quetzals Have you noticed that there are a lot of really beautiful birds out there? That should be the hint to ensure that they don't die out, especially when they're a national bird. Specifically in this case, I'm talking about the Quetzal, the national bird of Guatemala, and it's widely considered one of the most beautiful birds in all of the world. The bird is known for its brilliant green plumage, rich red underparts, shaggy green crest, and most of all, its long, wispy tail feathers extending twice the length of the bird itself. Thankfully, and possibly because of their status, these birds are not actually threatened, but you still need to go to South America just to be able to see them. 2. Sulu Hornbill Sadly, this bird is one of the most rare in the world due to its not-so-good status in terms of life right now. It was endemic to multiple islands in the Philippines, and one location it was at is no longer there as they were hunted into extinction. Fast forward to 2019, and it was said that only 27 of them still existed in the entire world, and that makes them not only a rare bird, but one of the most rare animals in the world in general. It's so rare, in fact, that if you go to the Wikipedia page for this bird, you won't even see a photograph, you'll just get a depiction of it. Hopefully, things will swing back in its direction, but it'll be a long struggle due to its low numbers. 1. Andean Cock-of-the-Rock Yes, really, this bird is known as the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, and I'm going to refrain from saying Andean Cock-of-the-Rock too much because I might burst out laughing if I keep repeating it. Cock-of-the-Rock, you're welcome. All jokes aside, the creature in question is a large passerine bird of the Katinga family, native to the Andean cloud forests of South America. It's widely regarded as the national bird of Peru. I'll leave that joke on the cutting room floor as well. Easily one of the most curious things about this bird outside of its name is that the males and females look very different, so you'd think that you're looking at two different species, but in fact, it's only one. They do have a more basic diet via fruit, supplemented by insects, amphibians, reptiles, and smaller mice. And also, they're safe in terms of their population numbers, but they also don't know how many of these birds actually exist right now, so everyone just has to take that as it is. That's all from the realm of birds. Which of these birds did you know about ahead of this video, and how did you hear about them? And which of them would you honestly be impressed by the most in person? Are there any others that should be on this list as well? Be sure to let me know all about it in the comment section down below. Check out the other cool things that are showing up on the screen, and I'll see you next time!