Baltic Marine Environment
Protection Commission

2024 Red List II of Seabirds

The sea bird community of the Baltic Sea is highly variable depending on the season. Some bird species are present throughout the year, but many migrate to the Baltic Sea to breed. In all, the Baltic Sea is an important area for around 80 species of seabird. A variety of species groups with different habitat preferences are found in coastal areas during the breeding period. In winter, the bird fauna is dominated by species that breed in arctic freshwater habitats, which use ice-free areas of the Baltic Sea as wintering areas.

Overview of the assessment results for seabirds

Breeding birds

There were 18 breeding bird species assessed as threatened (CR-VU) of the total 85 species that were evaluated in the HELCOM Red List II assessment. Gelochelidon nilotica is Regionally Extinct and Charadrius alexandrines Critically Endangered as both were also in Rissa tridactyla and Larus melanocephalus remained in Endangered category as in 2013. But many species were upscaled in their threat categories. Altogether, 31 species were red-listed (CR-DD) in 2024, compared to the 23 species in 2013.

28 species or subspecies of the seabirds have been evaluated both as breeding and wintering populations in the Baltic Sea (marked with an asterisk in Annex 4). The total list of the assessed breeding bird species and the categories assigned to them are available in Annex 4 of the Red List II species report.

Evaluated, Not Evaluated (NE) or Not Applicable (NA) species

Out of the total list of 90 breeding bird species of the HELCOM Checklist 2.0 (HELCOM 2020), a total of 85 species entered the Red List II assessment process, out of which 57 species were evaluated and 28 species (32.9%) were assigned the category Not Applicable (NA). In the 2013 Red List all 58 species were evaluated.

Red List categories within the assessed breeding bird species

The proportion of the category Least Concern was a bit lower among the 85 assessed species in 2024, 26 species (30.6%), compared to the 2013 assessment, 35 species (60.3%) out of the then total 58 assessed species. In 2013 no species were assigned to the category Not Applicable, compared to 28 species (32.9%) categorized as Not Applicable in 2024. Three breeding birds were categorized as Data Deficient in 2024, none in 2013.

Wintering birds

There were 7 wintering bird species assessed as threatened (CR-VU) of the total 54 species that were evaluated in the HELCOM Red List II assessment. Polysticta stelleri was categorized as Critically Endangered in 2024 (Endangered in 2013), Somateria mollissima* retained the Endangered status from 2013 also in 2024, while Aythya ferina and Fulica atra were previously assigned to Least Concern and in 2024 upscaled to the Endangered category. Altogether, 17 species were red-listed (RE-DD) in 2024, compared to the 16 species in 2013.

28 species or subspecies of the seabirds have been evaluated both as breeding and wintering populations in the Baltic Sea (marked with an asterisk in Annex 4). The total list of the assessed wintering bird species and the categories assigned to them are available in Annex 4 of the Red List II species report.

Evaluated, Not Evaluated (NE) or Not Applicable (NA) species

Out of the total list of 69 wintering bird species of the HELCOM Checklist 2.0 (HELCOM 2020), a total of 54 species entered the Red List II assessment process, out of which 43 species (79.6%) were evaluated, one species was Not Evaluated and ten species were assigned the category Not Applicable (NA). In 2013 Red List 47 (74.6%) species were evaluated, four were Not Evaluated and 12 as Not Applicable.

Red List categories within the assessed wintering bird species

The proportion of the category Least Concern was a about the same among the 54 assessed species in 2024, 26 species (48.1%), compared to the 2013 assessment, 31 species (49.2%) out of the then total 63 assessed species. In 2013, 12 species were assigned to the Not Applicable category, compared to 10 species in 2024. Four wintering birds were categorized as Data Deficient in 2024, none in 2013.

Red List categories and Species Information Sheets (SIS)

The Species Information Sheets (SIS) were updated for those species that were categorized as threatened during the Red List II project, meaning  those  assessed as Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable and those categorised as Regionally Extinct. For those species that were categorized as threatened for the first time, a SIS was produced with only a summary table and distribution map.

SIS were updated also for both breeding and wintering birds, categorized as threatened in 2024, but were decided not to be uploaded publicly due to concerns related to incompletion of the maps and insufficiency of the descriptions, during IC WG BIODIV 2-2025, thus currently missing from the table below.

Breeding birds

Criteria 2024	Scientific name	Common name	Criteria 2013
	Gelochelidon nilotica	Gull-billed tern
D1	Charadrius alexandrinus	Kentish plover; snowy plover	D1
D1	Xenus cinereus	Terek sandpiper	D1
D1	Calidris alpina schinzii*	Dunlin (Short-billed)	A2ace, C1
A2ab	Philomachus pugnax	Ruff	A2abcd
A2abce	Somateria mollissima*	Common eider; eider; eider duck	A2abe
C1	Calidris temminckii	Temminck’s stint	A2a-c
A2ace	Limosa limosa	Black-tailed godwit	A2ac
D1	Rissa tridactyla*	Black-legged kittiwake; kittiwake; kittiwake gull	D1
D1	Larus melanocephalus	Mediterranean gull	D1
C1; D1	Aythya marila*	Greater scaup; scaup	A2bcd
A2b	Arenaria interpres	Ruddy turnstone; turnstone	A2abce + 3ce + 4abce
A2a	Larus fuscus fuscus	Lesser black-backed gull	A2abce
A2b	Melanitta fusca*	Velvet scoter; white-winged scoter	A2b
A2a	Actitis hypoleucos	Common sandpiper	A2ab
A4	Vanellus vanellus	Lapwing; northern lapwing	A2bc
A2b	Aythya fuligula*	Tufted duck	A2ab
A2b	Larus canus*	Common gull; mew gull
A2a	Larus marinus*	Great black-backed gull; greater black-backed gull
D	Hydroprogne caspia	Caspian tern	C1
D1	Podiceps auritus*	Horned grebe; Slavonian grebe	A2abce
	Tringa totanus*	Common redshank; redshank	A2ac
	Sterna sandvicensis	Sandwich tern
D1	Sternula albifrons	Little tern
A2acde	Larus argentatus*	European herring gull; herring gull
A2b	Tadorna tadorna	Common shelduck; shelduck
	Charadrius hiaticula	Plover	A2bc
	Cepphus grylle*	Black guillemot	A2a-c
	Oenanthe oenanthe	Northern wheatear; wheatear	A2abc

Wintering birds

Criteria 2024	Scientific name	Common name	Criteria 2013
A2b	Polysticta stelleri	Steller’s eider	A1a, B2ab(ii,iv,v), C1,2a
A2abce	Somateria mollissima*	Common eider; eider; eider duck	A2b
A2bd	Aythya ferina	Common pochard; pochard
A2b	Fulica atra	Eurasian coot; coot; common coot
A2b	Clangula Hyemalis	Long-tailed duck; oldsquaw	A2b
A2b	Aythya fuligula*	Tufted duck
A2acde	Larus argentatus*	European herring gull; herring gull
A3e	Gavia stellata	Red-throated diver; red-throated loon	A2b
A2b	Gavia arctica	Black-throated diver; black-throated loon	A2b
A2b	Mergus serrator*	Red-breasted merganser	A2b
A2ab	Larus marinus*	Great black-backed gull; greater black-backed gull
A4	Aythya marila*	Greater scaup; scaup
	Rissa tridactyla*	Black-legged kittiwake; kittiwake; kittiwake gull	D2
	Hydrocoloeus minutus*	Little gull	D2
	Podiceps grisegena	Red-necked grebe	A2b, C1
	Melanitta nigra	Common scoter; black scoter	A2b
	Melanitta fusca*	Velvet scoter; white-winged scoter	A2b
	Cepphus grylle*	Black guillemot	D2
	Branta bernicla hrota	Brant	B1ab(iii), D2
	Podiceps auritus*	Horned grebe; Slavonian grebe	D2
	Calidris alpina	Dunlin
	Anser fabalis fabalis		A2b