IUCN Red List
Threat Categories for Migratory Species
The IUCN Red List classifies extinction risk into categories — Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild, and Extinct — based on population trend, range size, and fragmentation. Migratory species are especially prone to being uplisted (moved to a higher-risk category) because threats accumulate across multiple countries along their route, even if any single country's habitat is well-managed.
- The spoon-billed sandpiper, cited in the article, is currently classified Critically Endangered, with a global population of fewer than 500 adult birds; it was uplisted from Endangered due to accelerating declines linked to tidal-flat reclamation (notably in the Yellow Sea) and trapping on wintering grounds.
- IUCN Red List assessments are a key data source for CMS Appendix listing decisions and for national Schedule classifications.
● Tracked since April 09, 2026 · last seen July 23, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
See it in today’s brief.
Daily current affairs with every static concept explained in place.
Read the daily brief