10 Rarest Birds on Earth

the birds on this list are so rare that some of them don't even exist in the wild anymore here are the top 10 rarest birds number 10 the Hawaiian crow the Hawaiian crow is officially extinct in the wild in 1987 there were 10 known Hawaiian crows but by 2002 the remaining 2 had disappeared the Hawaiian crow is endemic to Central Kona in Hawaii also known as ilallah at the Native Hawaiians the Hawaiian crow has a primarily black body with brown tinged wings when it was alive in the wild it fed on insects fruit carrion eggs and the babies of other small animals efforts have been made to save this species as scientists are attempting to breed it in captivity however the gene pool of the Hawaiian crow is very small and scientists are worried that the species may not recover number 9 Cebu flowerpecker the Cebu flowerpecker was thought to be extinct in the wild until it was rediscovered in 1992 by Rob Timmons the Cebu flowerpecker only lives on the small island of Cebu in the Philippines it is a tiny bird at around 4 inches in length its feathers vary in color from blue black to yellow to ochre to green this bird is so rare that there are only about 83 to 105 Cebu flower peckers alive in the wild today this attracts millions of bird-watching enthusiasts to Cebu Island who flock to the island for a chance to see this lovely little and elusive bird for themselves number eight the forest owlet this tiny bird is so rare that scientists once believed it had gone extinct there were only seven of these pint-sized birds collected throughout the nineteenth century and no one saw the forest owlet for over 100 years however in 1997 the forest owlet was rediscovered so there's hope for the survival of this tiny species the forest owlet is known for its square hat stunning yellow eyes and oversized talons it is native to central india where it lives and nests in the forest trees unlike most owls who are nocturnal the forest outlet is diurnal meaning that it hunts during the day it primarily eats rodents grasshoppers frogs and small lizards deforestation and illegal logging has posed a significant threat to this tiny bird as most of its habitat has been destroyed before we move on be sure to subscribe to daily toptenz with notifications on so you don't miss any of our videos number seven the great indian bustard the great indian bustard is not only rare it's the heaviest flying bird in the world native to the Indian subcontinent the great Indian bustard lives in the grasslands and dry lands of Rajasthan it is a tall bird with a long neck an average is four feet high it can weigh upwards of 33 pounds and it feeds ferociously on worms reptiles crickets beetles and other small mammals the great Indian bustard was listed as endangered in 1994 but the species went into a rapid decline from there by 2011 it's status was updated to critically endangered today it's thought that there are only around 200 left in the wild hunting and illegal poaching as well as habitat destruction are to blame for the demise of this heavy and rare bird number six California condor the majestic california condor is so rare that there were only 22 alive in the world in 1987 in an effort to save the species the condors were caught and the species officially became extinct in the wild since then the California condor has been bred in captivity with great success they were reintroduced into the wild in 1992 the California condor is the largest flying bird in North America it eats the carcasses of deer cattle and sheep and can consume up to 3 pounds of food a day it can soar to great heights of 15,000 feet and can travel up to 1,500 miles a day to find food the California condor relies on its keen eyesight to source out food as it has a terrible sense of smell it is easily recognizable by its red orange bald head and its black wings with white under markings number 5 the northern bald Ibis the northern bald Ibis once lived freely in the Middle East northern Africa and Europe however it began disappearing from Europe around 300 years ago and eventually went extinct in Europe it managed to survive in Morocco and Algeria though until the beginning of the 20th century but from there the species began to decline in those areas as well between 1900 and 2000 to the northern bald Ibis experienced a 98 percent population loss today there are only 147 breeding pairs left in the wild efforts have been made to save the species and there are 1,000 in captivity it is an ancient bird with fossils dating back to 1.8 million years ago its head lacks feathers and it's known for its red face and long curved bill the northern bald Ibis has struggled to survive against a number of threats namely loss of habitat over hunting and pesticide poisoning mostly from DDT number four the black stilt the black stilt is a rare waiting bird known for its long pink legs slender body and gorgeous black plumage it lives in streams rivers ponds and swamps of New Zealand they are carnivores eating mostly small fish mollusks and the larvae of aquatic insects they average 12 to 13 inches long and they once lived in abundance however when settlers came into New Zealand they both drained the wetlands and introduced predators to the black still cats and ferrets became a significant threat to this rare waiting bird and much of their habitat was destroyed as such there were only 132 adults left in the wild as of 2018 captive breeding has begun in an effort to save the species but currently the black silt is one of the rarest birds on the planet number three the Christmas Island frigate bird the Christmas Island frigate bird is aptly named as it is only found in one place on earth the Indian Oceans Christmas Island there are five species of frigate birds and the Christmas Island frigate bird is the rarest they grow to about 35 inches long and they have powerful angular wings it is a unique bird as it feeds by dive-bombing and stealing food right out of the mouths of other birds because of this unique behavior the bird has been nicknamed the pirate of the bird Kingdom they love the skies as they don't walk or swim and they prefer to live at the top of tall forest trees they live their lives in pairs and only produce young once every two years environmental factors such as fires and cyclones have posed a threat to their survival as well as the introduction of the yellow crazy ants into their habitats who prey on their nests and threaten their young today there are an estimated 1,000 pair of Christmas Island frigate birds alive in the wild number two the Imperial Amazon the Imperial Amazon is a parrot that calls the Caribbean island of dominica poem the Imperial Amazon is a fantastic flyer and a strong climber that travels in groups of three or less they live perched on the highest treetops they can find and their beautiful coloring helps them camouflage with their surroundings so they can be really hard to see they grow to be about 19 inches long and they have a hooked bill with a very strong tongue that they use to feed to significant threats have posed a problem for the Imperial Amazon hurricanes have decimated their habitat making it difficult for them to survive in the wild and illegal animal trading has caused their population to decline as the Imperial Amazon is often hunted and traded on the black market in 2012 it was estimated that there were only about 250 to 350 Imperial Amazon's alive in the wild efforts have been made to protect their habitat and to stop the illegal trading of this rare and majestic bird number one the [ __ ] macaw also known as the little blue macaw the [ __ ] macaw is one of the rarest birds on the planet it is native to Brazil and it is tinier than most of its parrot counterparts the first of this species was captured in 1819 by German naturalist Johann Baptist von [ __ ] who named the species after himself the [ __ ] macaw is a visually striking bird whose feathers vary in shades of vivid blues unlike other parents male and female [ __ ] macaws generally look the same one of the reasons this bird has become so rare is because they are very picky eaters they prefer to eat the seeds and nuts of the Kaurava shrubs but these shrubs have become scarce due to deforestation this has led to a rapid and scary decline in their population in fact it's believed that the Spicks macaw no longer exists in the wild there have only been two Spitz macaws spotted in the wild in the last decade one in 2001 in 2016 there have been none spotted since 2016 the [ __ ] macaws still exists thanks to captive breeding but it is not known whether or not this beautiful bluebird will ever be able to live in the wild again which is why the Spicks macaw has flown its way into the top spot on this list of top ten rarest birds check out our previous videos on the top ten abandoned real estate developments that failed and the top ten most haunted roads on earth and remember to subscribe to daily top tens with 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Channel: DailyTop20s

Views: 53,999

Rating: 4.8329353 out of 5

Keywords: Rarest Birds on Earth, rare birds, birds, bird spotting, bird watching

Id: 6TCy2MkmakA

Length: 10min 20sec (620 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 29 2019