In Switzerland, the latest red list of threatened birds was prepared according to the criteria of the World Conservation Union IUCN. While the Red List adequately reflects extinction risk of species within the country, it cannot be used directly to set conservation priorities. In particular, the importance of national populations for the conservation of the species as a whole is not taken into account. The paper presents a procedure to asses the responsibility of Switzerland for all bird species based on Red-List status, the percentages of the Swiss population in relation to the European population and the “rarity” status. Five responsibility classes for breeding birds are distinguished: (B1) Threatened species with populations in Switzerland exceeding the size expected from the surface area of Switzerland in relation to the surface of Europe, (B2) threatened species with small populations in Switzerland, (B3) non threatened species with populations in Switzerland exceeding the size expected from the surface area of Switzerland in relation to the surface of Europe, (B4) non-threatened species with small populations in Switzerland, and (B5) species that have never been common in Switzerland. For each class the main types of conservation action needed are described. In addition, two responsibility classes are distinguished for birds occurring in Switzerland as visitors: (G1) species with large concentrations in Switzerland and an unfavorable conservation status in Europe, and (G2) species with large concentrations in Switzerland and a favorable conservation status in Europe. According to this classification, Switzerland has a high responsibility in particular for species of alpine habitats and of woodlands and for several species of wintering waterbirds.