1. The Asian crested ibis
The Asian crested ibis, originally from Eastern Russia, Japan and China, has its remaining population in the Chinese region of Shaanxi. The Asian crested ibis prefers wetlands where it is free to feed.
2. The Brazilian Merganser
The Brazilian Merganser belongs to the merganser duck family and is considered one of the rarest waterfowl birds on earth. There is only around 250 of them left and the last locations recorded were in Brazil and some parts of Argentina.
3. The Christmas Island Frigatebird
This bird is endemic to the Christmas Island in Australia and is one of the rarest birds around. These rare birds nest in very high forest trees.
4. The Forest Owlet
The Forest Owlet, one of the world’s rarest birds is found in India and were thought to be extinct until recently rediscovered in 1997 in various forests in India.
5. The Great Indian Bustard
This rare bird has some features similar to the ostrich. It is found in India and some regions of Pakistan.
6. The Honduran Emerald
This has become one of the rarest birds in the world due to habitat loss. It is part of the Hummingbird family and is mostly found in Honduran.
7. Kakapo
Kakapo’s name is derived from the Maori word meaning night parrot. It is one of the rare birds that made the 10 rarest birds in the world list and is flightless and nocturnal.
8. The Marvellous Spatuletail
The Marvellous Spatuletail is one of the most unique looking birds on our list and is also part of our Hummingbird family. They are endemic to Peru.
9. Palila
This critically endangered bird and one of the world’s rarest birds can only be found in Hawaii, particularly on the slopes of Mauna Kea.
10. The Scaly-Sided Merganser
This is the last bird on the rarest birds list and can be found in parts of Russia and China. This bird is also unfortunately listed as endangered.
These are magnificent birds that birding enthusiast would want to see around for years to come. Environmental steps have been taken to ensure the sustainability of these birds. There are many other diverse and interesting species of birds that can be found across the world. Safaris near Johannesburg offer amazing bird viewing and although most of the birds fetured cannot be found there, many other additions can be discovered.
