Micrastur plumbeus is under very considerable threat from forest clearance.
Three individuals were mist-netted in the RÃo ¥ambi Nature Reserve and nearby Patio in 1992, plus one in Los Farallones National Park, Colombia in 1993. In Esmeraldas, Ecuador, three specimens from two sites have been recorded since 1959.
Micrastur plumbeus is considered as "Endangered" by the IUCN Red List. CITES lists the species as "Appendix 2".