This is a list of the bird species recorded in Greenland. The avifauna of Greenland include a total of 253 species as of February 2025 according to Bird Checklists of the World. Of them, 178 are rare or accidental. One species is extinct (the great auk, another probably is (the Eskimo curlew), and one has been extirpated (the house sparrow).
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 tag has been used to highlight accidentals. Untagged species are common residents, migrants, or seasonal visitors.
(A) Accidental – a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Greenland
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.
Emperor goose, Anser canagica (A) Snow goose, Anser caerulescens Graylag goose, Anser anser (A) Greater white-fronted goose, Anser albifrons Pink-footed goose, Anser brachyrhynchus Brant, Branta bernicla Barnacle goose, Branta leucopsis Cackling goose, Branta hutchinsii Canada goose, Branta canadensis Tundra swan, Cygnus columbianus (A) Whooper swan, Cygnus cygnus Ruddy shelduck, Tadorna ferruginea (A) Common shelduck, Tadorna tadorna (A) Blue-winged teal, Spatula discors (A) Northern shoveler, Spatula clypeata (A) Gadwall, Mareca strepera (A) Eurasian wigeon, Mareca penelope (A) American wigeon, Mareca americana (A) Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos American black duck, Anas rubripes (A) Northern pintail, Anas acuta Green-winged teal, Anas crecca Redhead, Aythya americana (A) Ring-necked duck, Aythya collaris (A) Tufted duck, Aythya fuligula (A) Greater scaup, Aythya marila (A) Lesser scaup, Aythya affinis (A) Steller's eider, Polysticta stelleri (A) King eider, Somateria spectabilis Common eider, Somateria mollissima Harlequin duck, Histrionicus histrionicus Surf scoter, Melanitta perspicillata (A) Velvet scoter, Melanitta fusca (A) White-winged scoter, Melanitta deglandi (A) Common scoter, Melanitta nigra (A) Long-tailed duck, Clangula hyemalis Bufflehead, Bucephala albeola (A) Common goldeneye, Bucephala clangula (A) Barrow's goldeneye, Bucephala islandica Common merganser, Mergus merganser (A) Red-breasted merganser, Mergus serrator
Pheasants, grouse, and allies Order: GalliformesFamily: Phasianidae
Grouse are game birds which are similar to quails and partridges.
Willow ptarmigan, Lagopus lagopus Rock ptarmigan, Lagopus muta
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.
Horned grebe, Podiceps auritus (A) Red-necked grebe, Podiceps grisegena (A) Eared grebe, Podiceps nigricollis (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 (Introduced) Mourning dove, Zenaida macroura (A)
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. The Old World cuckoos are brood parasites.
Common cuckoo, Cuculus canorus (A) Yellow-billed cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus (A) Black-billed cuckoo, Coccyzus erythropthalmus (A)
Nightjars and allies Order: CaprimulgiformesFamily: Caprimulgidae
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds that usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs, and very short bills. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is camouflaged to resemble bark or leaves.
Common nighthawk, Chordeiles minor (A)
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.
Chimney swift, Chaetura pelagica (A) Common swift, Apus apus (A)
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.
Virginia rail, Rallus limicola (A) Water rail, Rallus aquaticus (A) (Not on the AOS Check-list) Corn crake, Crex crex (A) Sora, Porzana carolina (A) Common gallinule, Gallinula galeata (A) Eurasian coot, Fulica atra (A) American coot, Fulica americana (A) Spotted crake, Porzana porzana (A) Purple gallinule, Porphyrio martinicus (A)
Cranes Order: GruiformesFamily: Gruidae
Cranes are large, long-legged, and long-necked birds. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back. Most have elaborate and noisy courting displays or "dances".
Sandhill crane, Antigone canadensis (A) Common crane, Grus grus (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.
American avocet, Recurvirostra americana (A)
Oystercatchers Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Haematopodidae
The oystercatchers are large and noisy plover-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs.
Eurasian oystercatcher, Haematopus ostralegus (A)
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.
Northern lapwing, Vanellus vanellus (A) Black-bellied plover, Pluvialis squatarola European golden-plover, Pluvialis apricaria American golden-plover, Pluvialis dominica (A) Pacific golden-plover, Pluvialis fulva (A) Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus (A) Common ringed plover, Charadrius hiaticula Semipalmated plover, Charadrius semipalmatus (A) Oriental plover, Charadrius veredus (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) (probably extinct) Eurasian curlew, Numenius arquata (A) Black-tailed godwit, Limosa limosa (A) Ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres Red knot, Calidris canutus Ruff, Calidris pugnax (A) Curlew sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea (A) Temminck's stint, Calidris temminckii (A) Sanderling, Calidris alba Dunlin, Calidris alpina Purple sandpiper, Calidris maritima Little stint, Calidris minuta (A) Baird's sandpiper, Calidris bairdii 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) Long-billed dowitcher, Limnodromus scolopaceus (A) Eurasian woodcock, Scolopax rusticola (A) Common snipe, Gallinago gallinago (A) Wilson's snipe, Gallinago delicata (A) Spotted sandpiper, Actitis macularia (A) Solitary sandpiper, Tringa solitaria (A) Lesser yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes (A) Common greenshank, Tringa nebularia (A) Greater yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca (A) Common redshank, Tringa totanus (A) Wood sandpiper, Tringa glareola (A) Red-necked phalarope, Phalaropus lobatus Red phalarope, Phalaropus fulicarius
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.
Great skua, Stercorarius skua South polar skua, Stercorarius maccormicki (A) Pomarine jaeger, Stercorarius pomarinus Parasitic jaeger, Stercorarius parasiticus Long-tailed jaeger, Stercorarius longicaudus
Auks, murres, and puffins Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Alcidae
Alcids are superficially similar to penguins due to their black-and-white colours, their upright posture, and some of their habits. However, they are not related to the penguins and differ in being able to fly. Auks live on the open sea, only deliberately coming ashore to nest.
Dovekie, Alle alle Common murre, Uria aalge Thick-billed murre, Uria lomvia Razorbill, Alca torda Great auk, Pinguinus impennis (extinct) Black guillemot, Cepphus grylle Crested auklet, Aethia cristatella (A) Atlantic puffin, Fratercula arctica Horned puffin, Fratercula corniculata (A) Tufted puffin, Fratercula cirrhata (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-legged kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla Ivory gull, Pagophila eburnea Sabine's gull, Xema sabini Bonaparte's gull, Chroicocephalus philadelphia (A) Black-headed gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus Little gull, Hydrocoloeus minutus (A) Ross's gull, Rhodostethia rosea Laughing gull, Leucophaeus atricilla (A) Franklin's gull, Leucophaeus pipixcan (A) Common gull, Larus canus (A) Ring-billed gull, Larus delawarensis (A) Herring gull, Larus argentatus (A) Iceland gull, Larus glaucoides Lesser black-backed gull, Larus fuscus (A) Glaucous gull, Larus hyperboreus Great black-backed gull, Larus marinus Black tern, Chlidonias niger (A) Arctic tern, Sterna paradisaea
Loons Order: GaviiformesFamily: Gaviidae
Loons, known as divers in Europe, are a group of aquatic birds found in many parts of North America and northern Europe. They are the size of a large duck or small goose, which they somewhat resemble when swimming, but to which they are completely unrelated.
Red-throated loon, Gavia stellata Pacific loon, Gavia pacifica (A) Common loon, Gavia immer Yellow-billed loon, Gavia adamsii (A)
Albatrosses Order: ProcellariiformesFamily: Diomedeidae
The albatrosses are among the largest of flying birds, and the great albatrosses of the genus Diomedea have the largest wingspans of any extant birds.
Yellow-nosed albatross, Thalassarche chlororhynchos (A)