List of birds of the Pitcairn Islands

This is a list of the bird species recorded in the Pitcairn Islands. The avifauna of the Pitcairn Islands include a total of 43 species, of which five are endemic.

This list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) follow the conventions of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 5th edition. The family accounts at the beginning of each heading reflect this taxonomy, as do the species counts found in each family account.

The following tags have been used to highlight several categories. Not all species fall into one of these categories. Those that do not are commonly occurring native species.

• (E) Endemic - a species endemic to the Pitcairn Islands

Albatrosses

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Diomedeidae

The albatrosses are among the largest of flying birds, and the great albatrosses from the genus Diomedea have the largest wingspans of any extant birds.

• Wandering albatross, Diomedea exulans
• Black-browed albatross, Thalassarche melanophris
• Buller's albatross, Thalassarche bulleri

Shearwaters and petrels

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Procellariidae

The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels", characterised by united nostrils with medium septum and a long outer functional primary.

• Antarctic giant petrel, Macronectes giganteus
• Cape petrel, Daption capense
• Great-winged petrel, Pterodroma macroptera
• White-headed petrel, Pterodroma lessonii
• Phoenix petrel, Pterodroma alba
• Murphy's petrel, Pterodroma ultima
• Kermadec petrel, Pterodroma neglecta
• Herald petrel, Pterodroma heraldica
• Henderson petrel, Pterodroma atrata
• White-chinned petrel, Procellaria aequinoctialis
• Wedge-tailed shearwater, Ardenna pacificus
• Christmas shearwater, Puffinus nativitatis

Storm petrels

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Hydrobatidae

The storm petrels are relatives of the petrels and are the smallest seabirds. They feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.

• White-faced storm petrel, Pelagodroma marina

Tropicbirds

Order: Phaethontiformes   Family: Phaethontidae

Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their heads and long wings have black markings.

• Red-tailed tropicbird, Phaethon rubricauda
• White-tailed tropicbird, Phaethon lepturus

Boobies and gannets

Order: Suliformes   Family: Sulidae

The sulids comprise the gannets and boobies. Both groups are medium to large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish.

• Masked booby, Sula dactylatra
• Red-footed booby, Sula sula
• Brown booby, Sula leucogaster

Frigatebirds

Order: Suliformes   Family: Fregatidae

Frigatebirds are large seabirds usually found over tropical oceans. They are large, black and white or completely black, with long wings and deeply forked tails. The males have coloured inflatable throat pouches. They do not swim or walk and cannot take off from a flat surface. Having the largest wingspan-to-body-weight ratio of any bird, they are essentially aerial, able to stay aloft for more than a week.

• Great frigatebird, Fregata minor
• Lesser frigatebird, Fregata ariel

Bitterns, herons and egrets

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Ardeidae

The family Ardeidae contains the bitterns, herons and egrets. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more wary. Members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted, unlike other long-necked birds such as storks, ibises and spoonbills.

• Pacific reef heron, Egretta sacra

Rails, crakes, gallinules and coots

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Rallidae

Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the rails, crakes, coots and gallinules. Typically they inhabit dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, making them difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs and long toes which are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and to be weak fliers.

• Spotless crake, Porzana tabuensis
• Henderson crake, Porzana atra (E)

Plovers and lapwings

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Charadriidae

The family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels and lapwings. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings. They are found in open country worldwide, mostly in habitats near water.

• Pacific golden plover, Pluvialis fulva

Sandpipers and allies

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Scolopacidae

Scolopacidae is a large diverse family of small to medium-sized shorebirds including the sandpipers, curlews, godwits, shanks, tattlers, woodcocks, snipes, dowitchers and phalaropes. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Variation in length of legs and bills enables multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food.

• Bristle-thighed curlew, Numenius tahitiensis
• Wandering tattler, Tringa incanus
• Sanderling, Calidris alba

Gulls

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae

Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds, the gulls and kittiwakes. They are typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet. There are 55 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in the Pitcairn Islands.

• Laughing gull, Leucophaeus atricilla

Terns

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Sternidae

Terns are a group of generally medium to large seabirds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. Most terns hunt fish by diving but some pick insects off the surface of fresh water. Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species known to live in excess of 30 years.

• Spectacled tern, Onychoprion lunatus
• Sooty tern, Onychoprion fuscatus
• Black noddy, Anous minutus
• Brown noddy, Anous stolidus
• Blue noddy, Procelsterna cerulea
• Grey noddy, Procelsterna albivitta
• White tern, Gygis alba

Pigeons and doves

Order: Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere.

• Henderson fruit dove, Ptilinopus insularis (E)

Parrots and allies

Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Psittaculidae

• Stephen's lorikeet, Vini stepheni (E)

Cuckoos and anis

Order: Cuculiformes   Family: Cuculidae

The family Cuculidae includes cuckoos, roadrunners and anis. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. The Old World cuckoos are brood parasites.

• Long-tailed koel, Eudynamys taitensis

Acrocephalid warblers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Acrocephalidae

The family Sylviidae is a group of small insectivorous passerine birds. They mainly occur as breeding species, as the common name implies, in Europe, Asia and, to a lesser extent, Africa. Most are of generally undistinguished appearance, but many have distinctive songs.

• Pitcairn reed warbler, Acrocephalus vaughani (E)
• Henderson reed warbler, Acrocephalus taiti (E)

See also

• List of birds
• Lists of birds by region