What is the most common bird in the world?
The domestic chicken is the most common bird in the world, with more than 20 billion alive at any time. Among wild birds, the red-billed quelea of Africa is the most numerous.
Chickens are raised on almost every continent for meat and eggs. Their number far exceeds that of any other bird and is several times the number of humans. They are descended mainly from the red junglefowl of Southeast Asia, domesticated thousands of years ago.
The red-billed quelea, a small seed-eating bird of sub-Saharan Africa, is thought to have a population of around 1.5 billion. It lives in enormous flocks that can take hours to pass overhead and can damage crops. A 2021 study estimated that four wild species number more than a billion each, including the house sparrow, European starling and ring-billed gull.
How many birds are there?
The same 2021 study estimated about 50 billion wild birds live on Earth, roughly six for every person. Many species, though, are rare, and scientists warn that bird populations in many regions are declining.
Did You Know?
The passenger pigeon was once possibly the most numerous bird in North America, with billions of birds, but it was hunted to extinction by 1914.