Don't know if this from BirdLife International is any help. I would
be surprised if we had wiped many species out before 1500.

http://www.birdlife.org/action/science/species/global_species_programme/red_list.html
How many birds have gone extinct?

A total of 132 species are documented as having gone extinct since
1500. A further four species are now extinct in the wild and survive
only in captive populations. Although extinctions have been better
documented in birds than any other group of organisms, these totals
are likely to be underestimates because extinction is difficult to
document. A number of other species currently categorised as
Critically Endangered have probably gone extinct too, but cannot be
designated as such until we are certain. Fifteen such species are
categorised as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct) or Critically
Endangered (Possibly Extinct in the Wild). Thus, a total of 151
species may have been lost in the last 500 years.

Larry Schwitters

Issaquah



On Dec 9, 2010, at 2:45 PM, Robert Cleland wrote:

> A biology colleague of mine said he had been told that since 1000 AD
> there have been nearly 1000 birds that have gone extinct. He didn't
> know the source of this figure. Does anyone out there have a
> reference to such a figure, or have strong feelings about whether it
> is correct? 1000 seems high to me.
>
> ************************
> Robert Cleland
>
> Professor (Emeritus), Biology Dept. Box 355325
> Univ. of Washington
> Seattle, WA 98195-5325
> Phone (206) 543-6105; FAX (206) 685-1728
>
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