As the name suggests, Blue-crowned Laughingthrushes are an extremely social species, often maintaining a close family dynamic where sometimes young from early clutches help raise younger chicks. These beautifully blue, yellow, and brownish birds communicate with each other through various squeals and calls…and one that even sounds like human laughter! 

In the late 1980s, the species was thought to be extinct until it reappeared in the illegal pet trade business. Along with illegal pet trading, human-caused habitat loss poses the two biggest threats to this species and has directly contributed to population loss in the wild.  It’s estimated that roughly 300 individuals remain in the wild, located exclusively in discrete colonies centered around Wuyuan County in the province of Jiangxi, China. Although breeding areas are well known, where this species spends the migratory period for the non-breeding season, and what threats it faces during this period, are not known.

The species received the highest protection status for a wild bird in 2022 under the Wildlife Protection Law of Peoples Republic of China.

Baer’s Pochards have sleek dark gray and sometimes black head with hues of brown, red, and white on their sides. They have a distinctive white band on their wings which can only be seen when they have their wings open. It’s estimated that this species can reach depths of more than six feet under the surface of tehr water during mealtime and hold its breath for nearly 40 seconds at a time. 

Baer’s Porchards are one of the most Critically Endangered ducks in the world with an estimated 150 – 700 mature individuals in the wild. Their population has plummeted quickly in just the last 25 years, but the reasons are not well understood. 

Blue-billed Curassows are large, turkey-like birds found in small, fragmented lowland habitats in Colombia. Males and females both have a fleshy blue wattle that hangs below the bill, but only the male grows a cere, or a knob, on the bill. They are primarily found on the forest floor, where they find worms, insects, fruits, and seeds, but they do roost in trees. Males have a loud, distinctive booming call that they use to attract a mate. Blue-billed Curassow young are precocial, meaning they hatch fully feathered and ready to leave the nest shortly after hatching. They stay close to home, though, for several months.

Blue-billed Curassows are Critically Endangered, with an estimated 150 to 700 individuals remaining in the wild. These birds rely on large, undisturbed tracts of humid forest in lowlands and foothills, and habitat fragmentation has led to a sharp decline for the species.

The Critically Endangered Hooded Vulture is a rather small, brown vulture, native to Sub-Saharan Africa. This species mainly occupies open woodland and savanna, but also forest edge, where if feeds on carrion and human food scraps. Unlike other vultures which mostly construct their nests on cliffs or buildings, the Hooded Vulture makes a stick nest deep within the foliage of a tree. Being smaller than the other African vultures, Hooded Vultures can rise on warm thermal air currents more quickly and so is often the first one to sight a carcass.  Vultures can remain in the air for hours, soaring gracefully with their long, broad wings on the thermals. This vulture is Critically Endangered as the result of the widespread loss of nesting trees, hunting of the vultures for food or medicine, poisoning at carcasses, and avian influenza.

The Vietnam Pheasant, also called the Edwards’s Pheasant, is a little-known species which may be Extinct in the Wild. It has not been observed in the wild since 2000 and is currently listed as Critically Endangered. Much of the species’ potential habitat was destroyed as a result of herbicide use during the Vietnam War, and subsequent logging and clearing of land for agriculture further contributed to the loss of suitable habitat. Hunting has also been a problem for the species.

The Vietnam Pheasant is considered by many to be the most endangered of all pheasant species. An elusive bird not seen in Central Vietnam’s dense, evergreen forests since 2000. While it’s is currently listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Critically Endangered, but many believe the species could be Extinct in the Wild.  

African Penguins are native to the southwestern coast of Africa, and are one of the 18 species of penguins found throughout the Southern Hemisphere. They are also among the smallest penguins, standing about 18 inches tall and weighing 6 to 10 pounds. They are a temperate species comfortable in a wide range of temperatures, making them well-suited for life in Penguin Point at the National Aviary. African Penguins can’t fly, but they are extremely agile swimmers. They use their wings like paddles and their webbed feet like flippers to propel themselves through the water at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour! Sadly, this species faces many challenges, like overfishing and human encroachment on nesting grounds, and could be functionally extinct in the wild by 2035.

The Bali Myna is a Critically Endangered endemic resident of Bali and surrounding small islands, where fewer than 100 individuals remain. Habitat destruction and capture for the illegal wildlife trade have significantly impacted this species. Community-based conservation efforts are underway to help save this species, as is a robust breeding program in zoos through the Species Survival Plan. In its native habitat, the Bali Myna prefers open woodlands with grass understory, where it frequents the overstory, but the Bali Myna avoids closed forest. This species feeds mostly in the trees, pursuing seeds, fruits, insects, and even small vertebrates such as geckos, but they have been known to perch on the backs of ungulates (mammals such as rhinoceros, tapirs, and boars) to feed on flies and other insects made available by the movements of the large animals. The Bali Myna nests in a natural tree hole or old woodpecker hole which it lines with dry twigs.

The Guam Rail is a small, ground-dwelling bird, inhabiting forests, mixed woodland and scrub, fern thickets, and grasslands. They move quickly through thickets and grasses. It is most active at dawn and dusk.

In the late 1980s, the presence of an invasive species, the brown tree-snake threatened the survival of bird species on the island of Guam. The Guam Rail was nearly driven to extinction, but biologists managed to rescue the remaining rails and bring them into human care. The species was listed as Extinct in the Wild for over 30 years. Careful coordination between zoos helped this species survive and breed in human care. Gradually, the species was released on the islands of Rota and Cocos near Guam, where released birds themselves have since successfully reproduced! In 2019, the Guam Rail became only the second bird species ever to be upgraded from “Extinct in the Wild” to “Critically Endangered.”

The National Aviary played a vital role in the reintroduction of Guam Rails. More Guam Rails have hatched at the National Aviary than at any other North American zoo. Read more about the remarkable recovery of this Critically Endangered species!