Threatened and extinct (island) birds of the world: implications for species loss on functional diversity

While we have some knowledge of the number of bird species that humans have driven extinct, we have far less understanding of the functional diversity (FD) that has been lost. To answer this question, we compiled a global database of functional traits of all known extinct birds. We used this database to undertake a evaluation of the avian FD that has been lost through extinctions, and what may be lost in future through the loss of currently threatened species. We also assessed how these extinctions have affected our understanding of "natural" island biogeography.