Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. Critically Endangered species are those that are either facing an extremely high risk of extinction, or have numbers which decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations.
As the Red List does not consider a species extinct until extensive, targeted surveys have been conducted, species which are possibly extinct are still listed as 'Critically Endangered'. A new ideal category for 'Possibly Extinct' has been suggested by BirdLife International to categorize these taxa.
Read more about Critically Endangered: Species Examples
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