The Birdlife International Red List Team seeks valuable input to inform critical decisions regarding possible category changes for bird species listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. These proposed changes affect 49 bird species, and discussions are now live, providing a key opportunity for the global conservation community to contribute to this decision-making process.
Among the species under review is the Redwing (Turdus iliacus), which is listed in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The public consultation period is open until 21 October, and participants are encouraged to engage with the active topics, which are arranged by major geographic regions.
Why It Matters:
The IUCN Red List is critical for understanding species’ extinction risks and guiding global conservation efforts. Category changes can have significant implications for conservation strategies, funding allocation, and policy development, making stakeholder input crucial at this stage.
How to Participate:
Those interested in contributing can access the ongoing discussions by visiting the official Red List website and navigating to the section on active topics. Each species is categorized by its geographic region, allowing for focused discussion. All comments and contributions will be considered in the final decision-making process.
Background
BirdLife International, as the IUCN Red List Authority for birds, carries out Red List assessments for bird species globally. If a species is undergoing a genuine change in its population size, trend or distribution, or if new findings allow a more precise assessment, it may qualify for a different Red List Category. Proposed changes or requests for information are published here on the Forums to seek input on comments on the assessment.
On these Forums, topics describe the current status of particular species, new information that has become available, the proposed new Red List category that this information suggest is appropriate, and a request for comments or further input. Species currently up for discussion on the Forums are sorted by their region of occurrence.
Each year, the revisions that have been decided upon from input through the forums will be submitted to the IUCN Red List. New categories become official when the Red List is updated and released later in the year. Contributors who supply information that is used in an assessment will be explicitly acknowledged in the factsheet of the relevant species.
We invite you to share your expertise on the Forums and contribute to the assessment of the extinction risk of bird species worldwide. We would like to invite you to review the topics and provide comments indicating whether or not you agree with the proposals. We welcome comments and evidence that contradict our proposals, but we also recommend you to post messages of support for proposals you agree with, as this greatly helps us to assess all relevant feedback and reach decisions.
We welcome any contribution to the discussion topics, but please note that the topics are not designed to be a general discussion about the ecology of the species, rather a discussion of their Red List status. Therefore, please make sure that your comments are relevant to the discussion outlined in the topics.
