This is a list of the bird species recorded in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The avifauna of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines included a total of 193 species according to Bird Checklists of the World as of July 2022. Of them, two are endemic, four have been introduced by humans, and 115 are rare or accidental. Four species are globally threatened, one of which is possibly extinct.
This list is presented in the taxonomic sequence of the Check-list of North and Middle American Birds, 7th edition through the 63rd Supplement, published by the American Ornithological Society (AOS). Common and scientific names are also those of the Check-list, except that the common names of families are from the Clements taxonomy because the AOS list does not include them.
The following tags have been used to highlight several categories of occurrence.
(A) Accidental - a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (E) Endemic - a species endemic to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (I) Introduced - a species introduced directly to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines or elsewhere in the New World
Ducks, geese, and waterfowl Order: AnseriformesFamily: Anatidae
Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating.
Black-bellied whistling-duck, Dendrocygna autumnalis (A) West Indian whistling-duck, Dendrocygna arborea (A) Fulvous whistling-duck, Dendrocygna bicolor (A) Blue-winged teal, Spatula discors (A) Northern shoveler, Spatula clypeata (A) American wigeon, Mareca americana Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos (A) Northern pintail, Anas acuta (A) Green-winged teal, Anas crecca Ring-necked duck, Aythya collaris Lesser scaup, Aythya affinis Masked duck, Nomonyx dominicus Ruddy duck, Oxyura jamaicensis (A)
Guans, chachalacas, and curassows Order: GalliformesFamily: Cracidae
The Cracidae are large birds, similar in general appearance to turkeys. The guans and curassows live in trees, but the smaller chachalacas are found in more open scrubby habitats. They are generally dull-plumaged, but the curassows and some guans have colourful facial ornaments.
Rufous-vented chachalaca, Ortalis ruficauda (A)
Pheasants, grouse, and allies Order: GalliformesFamily: Phasianidae
The Phasianidae are a family of terrestrial birds which consists of quails, partridges, snowcocks, francolins, spurfowls, tragopans, monals, pheasants, peafowls, and jungle fowls. In general, they are plump (although they vary in size) and have broad, relatively short wings.
Red junglefowl, Gallus gallus (I)
Flamingos Order: PhoenicopteriformesFamily: Phoenicopteridae
Flamingos are gregarious wading birds, usually tall, found in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. Flamingos filter-feed on shellfish and algae. Their oddly shaped beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they consume and, uniquely, are used upside-down.
American flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber (A)
Grebes Order: PodicipediformesFamily: Podicipedidae
Grebes are small to medium-large freshwater diving birds. They have lobed toes and are excellent swimmers and divers. However, they have their feet placed far back on the body, making them quite ungainly on land.
Pied-billed grebe, Podilymbus podiceps (A)
Pigeons and doves Order: ColumbiformesFamily: Columbidae
Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere.
Rock pigeon, Columba livia (I) Scaly-naped pigeon, Patagioenas squamosa White-crowned pigeon, Patagioenas leucocephala (A) Eurasian collared-dove, Streptopelia decaocto (I) Common ground dove, Columbina passerina Ruddy quail-dove, Geotrygon montana Bridled quail-dove, Geotrygon mystacea (A) Zenaida dove, Zenaida aurita Eared dove, Zenaida auriculata
Cuckoos Order: CuculiformesFamily: Cuculidae
The family Cuculidae includes cuckoos, roadrunners, and anis. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails, and strong legs.
Smooth-billed ani, Crotophaga ani Yellow-billed cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus (A) Mangrove cuckoo, Coccyzus minor
Swifts Order: ApodiformesFamily: Apodidae
Swifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings which resemble a crescent or boomerang.
Black swift, Cypseloides niger (A) White-collared swift, Streptoprocne zonaris Gray-rumped swift, Chaetura cinereiventris (A) Lesser Antillean swift, Chaetura martinica Short-tailed swift, Chaetura brachyura
Hummingbirds Order: ApodiformesFamily: Trochilidae
Hummingbirds are small birds capable of hovering in mid-air due to the rapid flapping of their wings. They are the only birds that can fly backwards.
Purple-throated carib, Eulampis jugularis Green-throated carib, Eulampis holosericeus Antillean crested hummingbird, Orthorhyncus cristatus
Rails, gallinules, and coots Order: GruiformesFamily: 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.
Sora, Porzana carolina (A) Common gallinule, Gallinula galeata (A) American coot, Fulica americana Purple gallinule, Porphyrio martinica (A)
Stilts and avocets Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Recurvirostridae
Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds which includes the avocets and stilts. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills.
Black-necked stilt, Himantopus mexicanus (A)
Oystercatchers Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Haematopodidae
The oystercatchers are large and noisy plover-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs.
American oystercatcher, Haematopus palliatus
Plovers and lapwings Order: CharadriiformesFamily: 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.
Southern lapwing, Vanellus chilensis (A) Black-bellied plover, Pluvialis squatarola (A) American golden-plover, Pluvialis dominica (A) Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus (A) Semipalmated plover, Charadrius semipalmatus (A) Wilson's plover, Charadrius wilsonia Collared plover, Charadrius collaris Snowy plover, Charadrius nivosus (A)
Sandpipers and allies Order: CharadriiformesFamily: 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.
Upland sandpiper, Bartramia longicauda (A) Whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus Eskimo curlew, Numenius borealis (A) (possibly extinct) Bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica (A) Hudsonian godwit, Limosa haemastica (A) Marbled godwit, Limosa fedoa (A) Ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres (A) Red knot, Calidris canutus Ruff, Calidris pugnax (A) Stilt sandpiper, Calidris himantopus (A) Curlew sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea (A) Sanderling, Calidris alba (A) Baird's sandpiper, Calidris bairdii (A) Least sandpiper, Calidris minutilla (A) White-rumped sandpiper, Calidris fuscicollis (A) Buff-breasted sandpiper, Calidris subruficollis (A) Pectoral sandpiper, Calidris melanotos (A) Semipalmated sandpiper, Calidris pusilla (A) Western sandpiper, Calidris mauri (A) Short-billed dowitcher, Limnodromus griseus (A) Wilson's snipe, Gallinago delicata (A) Spotted sandpiper, Actitis macularia (A) Solitary sandpiper, Tringa solitaria (A) Lesser yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes (A) Willet, Tringa semipalmata (A) Greater yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca (A)
Skuas and jaegers Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Stercorariidae
The family Stercorariidae are, in general, medium to large birds, typically with grey or brown plumage, often with white markings on the wings. They nest on the ground in temperate and arctic regions and are long-distance migrants.
Pomarine jaeger, Stercorarius pomarinus (A) Parasitic jaeger, Stercorarius parasiticus (A)
Gulls, terns, and skimmers Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Laridae
Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds and includes gulls, kittiwakes, terns and skimmers. They are typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have longish bills and webbed feet. 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.
Black-headed gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus Laughing gull, Leucophaeus atricilla Ring-billed gull, Larus delawarensis (A) Herring gull, Larus argentatus Lesser black-backed gull, Larus fuscus (A) Brown noddy, Anous stolidus Sooty tern, Onychoprion fuscata (A) Bridled tern, Onychoprion anaethetus (A) Least tern, Sternula antillarum (A) Gull-billed tern, Gelochelidon nilotica (A) Black tern, Chlidonias niger (A) Roseate tern, Sterna dougallii (A) Common tern, Sterna hirundo (A) Forster's tern, Sterna forsteri (A) Royal tern, Thalasseus maxima Sandwich tern, Thalasseus sandvicensis (A)
Tropicbirds Order: PhaethontiformesFamily: Phaethontidae
Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their heads and long wings have black markings.
White-tailed tropicbird, Phaethon lepturus Red-billed tropicbird, Phaethon aethereus (A)
Southern storm-petrels Order: ProcellariiformesFamily: Oceanitidae
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.
Wilson's storm-petrel, Oceanites oceanicus (A)
Shearwaters and petrels Order: ProcellariiformesFamily: 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.
Black-capped petrel, Pterodroma hasitata (A) Cory's shearwater, Calonectris diomedea (A) Sooty shearwater, Ardenna grisea (A) Great shearwater, Ardenna gravis (A) Manx shearwater, Puffinus puffinus (A) Sargasso shearwater, Puffinus lherminieri (A)
Frigatebirds Order: SuliformesFamily: 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.
Magnificent frigatebird, Fregata magnificens
Boobies and gannets Order: SuliformesFamily: 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 (A) Brown booby, Sula leucogaster Red-footed booby, Sula sula
Cormorants and shags