Priority birds for species action plans in Switzerland. Priority setting for species conservation has received increasing attention in many countries. For Switzerland, we developed a three-step process to identify species (1) that are threatened, (2) for which our country carries an international responsibility and (3) whose populations should be increased or supported by species-specific action plans. While the first two steps have been published (Keller et al. 2001, Keller & Bollmann 2001), the third step is presented here. Starting with the list of “responsibility species” we developed a decision tree which is based mainly on the criterias “need for conservation action” and “suitability of different types of conservation actions” (species action plans versus protection of sites and habitats). 50 bird species were identified as priority species for action plans. The list of priority species comprises species of all habitat types, but the percentage of species of agricultural habitats Is particularly high. The usefulness and limits of the approach are discussed. In particular, it should be noted that the attribute “priority birds for species action plans” is not equivalent to the general assessment of the conservation importance of a species. The list of priority birds for species action plans is, however, a useful tool for politicians and public authorities for setting priorities in species conservation on a national level.