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List of Anseriformes by population

List of duck, goose, swan, and screamer populations From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

List of Anseriformes by population
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This is a list of Anseriformes species by global population. Where possible, estimates are given for both the population of mature individuals, and the total global population. This list follows IUCN classifications for species names and taxonomy. Where IUCN classifications differ from other ornithological authorities, alternative names and species classifications are noted.

Anseriformes (Anser being Latin for "goose") is the taxonomic order to which the ducks, geese, swans, and screamers belong. Version 15.1 (2025) of the IOC World Bird List describes 178 species belonging to Anseriformes, three of which are extinct.[1] BirdLife International has assessed 166 species; 89 (54% of total species) have had their population estimated.[needs update] A variety of methods are used for counting waterfowl. For example, in North America, national and sub-national agencies use planes and helicopters to make aerial transects of breeding populations, and extrapolate these counts over the species' known ranges. Methodologies are continuously being refined; thus estimates can be expected to become more accurate over time. Forecasts can be made by studying habitat condition trends and by interviewing local experts.[2] For more information on how these estimates were ascertained, see Wikipedia's articles on population biology and population ecology.

The first two birds in this list, the pink-headed duck and crested shelduck, retain a status of Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List but may be extinct. The last sighting of the former occurred in 1948-1949, but some dispute this date and argue the species was last reliably documented in the 1930s, 1923, or 1910.[3][4] The last pink-headed ducks in captivity died in the 1940s.[3] Unconfirmed reports from Myanmar provide some hope this species is still extant.[3]

The last confirmed reporting of the crested shelduck was in 1964 near Vladivostok. A disputed record from North Korea was claimed in March 1971. Unconfirmed reports from Northeast China are the best chance this species is still extant.[5] To be assessed as Critically Endangered, a species must have experienced a decline of at least 80% in the past ten years or three generations, or be projected to decline that much in the future ten years or three generations.[6] Some species included in this list are rapidly approaching their minimum viable population (MVP)[citation needed], at which point the species would become functionally extinct.

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Extinct species

  • Réunion shelduck or Réunion sheldgoose; Alopochen kervazoi: known only from fossils; extinct by 1710.[7]
  • Mauritius shelduck or Mauritius sheldgoose; Alopochen mauritania: described by Johannes Pretorius (as sheldgoose) in 1669; extinct by 1698.[8][9]
  • Amsterdam duck or Amsterdam wigeon; Mareca marecula: known from fossils, extinct by 1793 due to hunting and introduced rats.[10][11]
  • Mauritius duck or Mascarene teal; Anas theodori: early explorers described "a great number of grey teal" on Mauritius in 1681, which may have referred to this bird.[12] Last reported in 1696.[13]
  • Mariana mallard; Anas oustaleti: considered by some taxonomists to be a subspecies of the mallard or American black duck. Last known individual died in captivity in 1981.[14]
  • Finsch's duck; Chenonetta finschi: once very abundant, went extinct between 1250-1860.[15][16]
  • Labrador duck; Camptorhynchus labradorius: hunted to extinction; last seen in 1875.[17]
  • New Zealand merganser or Auckland Island merganser; Mergus australis: hunted to extinction; last recorded in 1902.[18]
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Species by global population

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See also

References

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