List of Suliformes by population

The population of birds
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Related Lists of organisms by population Lists of mammals by population List of Late Quaternary prehistoric bird species List of extinct birds Lists of birds by region

This is a list of Suliformes species by global population. While numbers are estimates, they have been made by the experts in their fields. For more information on how these estimates were ascertained, see Wikipedia's articles on population biology and population ecology.

Suliformes include the following families: Sulidae (gannets and boobies), Fregatidae (frigatebirds), Phalacrocoracidae (cormorants), Anhingidae (darters), and the Plotopteridae (flightless seabirds of the North Pacific that went extinct in the Miocene).

The IOC World Bird List (version 15.1) recognizes 60 species of Suliformes, one of which is extinct.^[1] As of December 2025, IUCN/BirdLife International have assessed 54 of these species (excepting Cocos booby and Imperial shag complex splits), 44 of which have population estimates. This list follows IUCN classifications for species names. Where IUCN classifications differ from other ornithological authorities, alternative names are noted.

Some members included in Suliformes are extinct:

• Spectacled cormorant (Urile perspicillatus) - largest known cormorant species, extinct since 1850s.^[2][3]

Species by global population

Common name	Binomial name	Population	Status	Trend	Notes	Image
Rough-faced shag (New Zealand king shag)	Phalacrocorax carunculatus	250-999[4]	VU[4]	[4]	Total population estimated to be 350-1,500 individuals.[4]
Chatham Islands shag	Leucocarbo onslowi	710[5]	CR[5]	[5]
Pitt Island shag (Pitt shag)	Phalacrocorax featherstoni	868[6]	EN[6]	[6]
Bounty Island shag (Bounty shag)	Leucocarbo ranfurlyi	874-975[7]	VU[7]	[7]
Flightless cormorant	Nannopterum harrisi	2,080[8]	VU[8]	[8]	Value provided is for total population.[8]
Christmas Island frigatebird (Christmas frigatebird)	Fregata andrewsi	2,400-5,000[9]	VU[9]	[9]	Best estimate for breeding population is 3,700 mature individuals.[9]
Auckland Islands shag (Auckland shag)	Leucocarbo colensoi	3,000[10]	VU[10]	[10]
Stewart Island shag	Leucocarbo chalconotus	3,300-5,300[11]	VU[11]	[11]	Numbers may be overestimated.[11]
Crowned cormorant	Microcarbo coronatus	4,324[12]	LC[12]	[12]
Bank cormorant	Phalacrocorax neglectus	5,000[13]	EN[13]	[13]
Abbott's booby	Papasula abbotti	6,000[14]	EN[14]	[14]
Campbell Island shag (Campbell shag)	Leucocarbo campbelli	8,000[15]	VU[15]	[15]	Estimate hasn't been updated since 1975. Value given is for total population, but may be more representative of number of mature individuals.[15]
Oriental darter	Anhinga melanogaster	10,000-99,999[16]	LC[16]	[16]	No formal population estimate has been conducted, but "the population probably numbers at least in the tens of thousands."[16]
Black-faced cormorant	Phalacrocorax fuscescens	10,000-99,999[17]	LC[17]	?[17]	Total population "probably numbers several 10,000s of birds."[17]
Ascension frigatebird	Fregata aquila	17,000-21,000[18]	VU[18]	[18]
African darter	Anhinga rufa	17,000-84,400[19]	LC[19]	[19]
Red-legged cormorant	Poikilocarbo gaimardi	19,400-20,300[20]	NT[20]	[20]
Nazca booby	Sula granti	20,000-49,999[21]	LC[21]	[21]	Minimum estimate.[21]
Great pied cormorant (Australian pied cormorant)	Phalacrocorax varius	23,300-83,300[22]	LC[22]	?[22]	Total population is estimated to be 35,000-125,000 individuals.[22]
Little black cormorant	Phalacrocorax sulcirostris	23,300-683,000[23]	LC[23]	?[23]	Total population is estimated to be 34,999-1,024,999 individuals.[23]
Japanese cormorant	Phalacrocorax capillatus	25,000-100,000[24]	LC[24]	?[24]	Values given are for total population.[24]
Indian cormorant	Phalacrocorax fuscicollis	30,000[25]	LC[25]	?[25]	Value given is for total population.[25]
Anhinga	Anhinga anhinga	33,300-133,000[26]	LC[26]	?[26]
Little pied cormorant	Microcarbo melanoleucos	36,000-201,000[27]	LC[27]	?[27]	Values given are for total population.[27]
Pygmy cormorant	Microcarbo pygmaeus	87,300-113,000[28]	LC[28]	[28]
Blue-footed booby	Sula nebouxii	90,000[29]	LC[29]	[29]
Lesser frigatebird	Fregata ariel	100,000-499,999[30]	LC[30]	[30]	Values given are for total population.[30]
Great frigatebird	Fregata minor	120,000[31]	LC[31]	[31]
Magnificent frigatebird	Fregata magnificens	130,000[32]	LC[32]	[32]
Long-tailed cormorant (Reed cormorant)	Microcarbo africanus	134,000-802,000[33]	LC[33]	[33]	Total population is estimated to be 200,500-1,202,500 individuals.[33]
Little cormorant	Microcarbo niger	183,000-233,000[34]	LC[34]	?[34]	Total population is estimated to be 275,000-350,000 individuals.[34]
Brown booby	Sula leucogaster	>200,000[35]	LC[35]	[35]	Minimum estimate.[35] Note that IOC taxonomy splits an additional species, the Cocos booby, from this species.[1] IUCN/BirdLife International maintain both species within S. leucogaster.[36]
Red-faced cormorant	Urile urile	>200,000[37]	LC[37]	[37]	Minimum estimate.[37]
Socotra cormorant	Phalacrocorax nigrogularis	220,000[38]	VU[38]	[38]
Brandt's cormorant	Urile penicillatus	230,000[39]	LC[39]	[39]	Value provided is for total population.[39]
European shag	Gulosus aristotelis	230,000-240,000[40]	LC[40]	[40]	Values provided are for total population.[40]
Cape cormorant	Phalacrocorax capensis	234,000[41]	EN[41]	[41]
Cape gannet	Morus capensis	246,000[42]	EN[42]	[42]	Mature population only (123,080 pairs).[42]
Peruvian booby	Sula variegata	1,200,000[43]	LC[43]	[43]	Values given are for total population.[43]
Red-footed booby	Sula sula	1,400,000[44]	LC[44]	[44]	Minimum estimate.[44]
Great cormorant	Phalacrocorax carbo	1,400,000-2,100,000[45]	LC[45]	[45]	Values given are for total population.[45]
Northern gannet	Morus bassanus	1,500,000-1,800,000[46]	LC[46]	[46]
Neotropical cormorant (Neotropic cormorant)	Nannopterum brasilianum	2,000,000[47]	LC[47]	[47]	Values given are for total population.[47]
Guanay cormorant	Leucocarbo bougainvilliorum	2,500,000 – 4,999,999[48]	NT[48]	[48]	Values given are for total population.[47]

Species without population estimates

Common name	Binomial name	Population	Status	Trend	Notes	Image
Australasian darter	Anhinga novaehollandiae	unknown[49]	LC[49]	[49]
Imperial shag	Leucocarbo atriceps	unknown[50]	LC[50]	?[50]	Note that IOC taxonomy splits five additional species, the South Georgia shag, Crozet shag, Antarctic shag, Heard Island shag, and Macquarie shag from this species.[1] IUCN/BirdLife International maintain all species within L. atriceps.[36]
Rock shag (Magellanic cormorant)	Leucocarbo magellanicus	unknown[51]	LC[51]	?[51]
Kerguelen Islands shag (Kerguelen shag)	Leucocarbo verrucosus	unknown[52]	LC[52]	?[52]
Australasian gannet	Morus serrator	unknown[53]	LC[53]	[53]
Double-crested cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	unknown[54]	LC[54]	[54]
Masked booby	Sula dactylatra	unknown[55]	LC[55]	[55]
Spotted shag	Phalacrocorax punctatus	unknown[56]	LC[56]	?[56]
Pelagic cormorant	Urile pelagicus	unknown[57]	LC[57]	[57]	Several national population estimates exist, but there is not enough data to form an estimate for global population.[57]

See also

• Lists of birds by population
• Lists of organisms by population

References