7 species are noted mentioned as being extinct in Spain (2 at a world level - the Canary Islands Oystercatcher and a subspecies of Canary Islands Stonechat (from the Chinijo archipiélago). The last sure record of the former was one killed in 1913 with "a long and rather fortunate shot", in the words of the ornithologist who pulled the trigger. There were several reliable sightings since, between 1969 and 1981. (two from Tenerife and two from Senegal ) . Its decline was probably due to overharvesting of shellfish and disturbance by people, although rats and cats have also been blamed.

33 (25%) of the taxons of the four categories are found exclusively in the Canaries - 76% of which are endemics, clearly demonstrating the particular biodiversity of the Canaries whose small surface area makes Canarian species particularly vulnerable to extinction

Unsurprisingly, the single most important cause o the current status of birds in Spain as everywhere else is loss of habitat. Human disturbance is also cited as playing a key role along with the spread of intensive agriculture and livestock farming. Others factors mentioned are: rural abandonment, direct persecution, competition from and being preyed upon by invasive species, electrocution and/or collisions with electricity lines and pylons, the building of infrastructures, the pollution and poor management of wetlands, intensive forestry, poisoning (imperial eagle), and urban expansion. Many of these are clearly interlinked. On the positive side, the Spanish bird organisation SEO and the Ministry of the Environment seem to be seeing eye to eye on many issues these days.

Spain has still by far the biggest and most varied bird populations in Western Europe .

In Critical Danger (50% chance of extinction - see above) 15 species including:

In Danger: 39 species including:

Vulnerable species 45 species including: