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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:
| Common name | Binomial name | Population | Status | Trend | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rough-faced shag (New Zealand king shag) | Phalacrocorax carunculatus | 250-999 [4] | VU [4] | Total population estimated to be 350-1,500 individuals. [4] | | |
| Chatham Islands shag | Leucocarbo onslowi | 710 [5] | CR [5] | | ||
| Pitt Island shag (Pitt shag) | Phalacrocorax featherstoni | 868 [6] | EN [6] | | ||
| Bounty Island shag (Bounty shag) | Leucocarbo ranfurlyi | 874-975 [7] | VU [7] | | ||
| Flightless cormorant | Nannopterum harrisi | 2,080 [8] | VU [8] | Value provided is for total population. [8] | | |
| Christmas Island frigatebird (Christmas frigatebird) | Fregata andrewsi | 2,400-5,000 [9] | VU [9] | Best estimate for breeding population is 3,700 mature individuals. [9] | | |
| Auckland Islands shag (Auckland shag) | Leucocarbo colensoi | 3,000 [10] | VU [10] | | ||
| Stewart Island shag | Leucocarbo chalconotus | 3,300-5,300 [11] | VU [11] | Numbers may be overestimated. [11] | | |
| Crowned cormorant | Microcarbo coronatus | 4,324 [12] | LC [12] | | ||
| Bank cormorant | Phalacrocorax neglectus | 5,000 [13] | EN [13] | | ||
| Abbott's booby | Papasula abbotti | 6,000 [14] | EN [14] | | ||
| Campbell Island shag (Campbell shag) | Leucocarbo campbelli | 8,000 [15] | VU [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] | 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] | | ||
| African darter | Anhinga rufa | 17,000-84,400 [19] | LC [19] | | ||
| Red-legged cormorant | Poikilocarbo gaimardi | 19,400-20,300 [20] | NT [20] | | ||
| Nazca booby | Sula granti | 20,000-49,999 [21] | LC [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] | | ||
| Blue-footed booby | Sula nebouxii | 90,000 [29] | LC [29] | | ||
| Lesser frigatebird | Fregata ariel | 100,000-499,999 [30] | LC [30] | Values given are for total population. [30] | | |
| Great frigatebird | Fregata minor | 120,000 [31] | LC [31] | | ||
| Magnificent frigatebird | Fregata magnificens | 130,000 [32] | LC [32] | | ||
| Long-tailed cormorant (Reed cormorant) | Microcarbo africanus | 134,000-802,000 [33] | LC [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] | 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] | Minimum estimate. [37] | | |
| Socotra cormorant | Phalacrocorax nigrogularis | 220,000 [38] | VU [38] | | ||
| Brandt's cormorant | Urile penicillatus | 230,000 [39] | LC [39] | Value provided is for total population. [39] | | |
| European shag | Gulosus aristotelis | 230,000-240,000 [40] | LC [40] | Values provided are for total population. [40] | | |
| Cape cormorant | Phalacrocorax capensis | 234,000 [41] | EN [41] | | ||
| Cape gannet | Morus capensis | 246,000 [42] | EN [42] | Mature population only (123,080 pairs). [42] | | |
| Peruvian booby | Sula variegata | 1,200,000 [43] | LC [43] | Values given are for total population. [43] | | |
| Red-footed booby | Sula sula | 1,400,000 [44] | LC [44] | Minimum estimate. [44] | | |
| Great cormorant | Phalacrocorax carbo | 1,400,000-2,100,000 [45] | LC [45] | Values given are for total population. [45] | | |
| Northern gannet | Morus bassanus | 1,500,000-1,800,000 [46] | LC [46] | | ||
| Neotropical cormorant (Neotropic cormorant) | Nannopterum brasilianum | 2,000,000 [47] | LC [47] | Values given are for total population. [47] | | |
| Guanay cormorant | Leucocarbo bougainvilliorum | 2,500,000 – 4,999,999 [48] | NT [48] | Values given are for total population. [47] | | |
| Common name | Binomial name | Population | Status | Trend | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australasian darter | Anhinga novaehollandiae | unknown [49] | LC [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] | | ||
| Double-crested cormorant | Nannopterum auritum | unknown [54] | LC [54] | | ||
| Masked booby | Sula dactylatra | unknown [55] | LC [55] | | ||
| Spotted shag | Phalacrocorax punctatus | unknown [56] | LC [56] | ? [56] | | |
| Pelagic cormorant | Urile pelagicus | unknown [57] | LC [57] | Several national population estimates exist, but there is not enough data to form an estimate for global population. [57] | |