This is a list of the bird species recorded in Cape Verde. The avifauna of Cape Verde include a total of 289 species, of which 5 are endemic, and 5 have been introduced by humans.
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, 2022 edition. The family accounts at the beginning of each heading reflect this taxonomy, as do the species counts found in each family account. Introduced and accidental species are included in the total counts for Cape Verde.
The following tags have been used to highlight several categories. The commonly occurring native species do not fall into any of these categories.
(A) Accidental - a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Cape Verde (E) Endemic - a species endemic to Cape Verde (I) Introduced - a species introduced to Cape Verde as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions
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.
White-faced whistling-duck, Dendrocygna viduata Fulvous whistling-duck, Dendrocygna bicolor Garganey, Spatula querquedula (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) Northern pintail, Anas acuta (A) Green-winged teal, Anas crecca Marbled teal, Marmaronetta angustirostris Common pochard, Aythya ferina (A) Ring-necked duck, Aythya collaris (A) Ferruginous duck, Aythya nyroca (A) Tufted duck, Aythya fuligula (A) Lesser scaup, Aythya affinis (A) Bufflehead, Bucephala albeola (A)
Guineafowl Order: GalliformesFamily: Numididae
Guineafowl are a group of African, seed-eating, ground-nesting birds that resemble partridges, but with featherless heads and spangled grey plumage.
Helmeted guineafowl, Numida meleagris (I)
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.
Common quail, Coturnix coturnix
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.
Greater flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus (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.
Little grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis
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 Common wood-pigeon, Columba palumbus (A) European turtle-dove, Streptopelia turtur Eurasian collared-dove, Streptopelia decaocto (I) Red-eyed dove, Streptopelia semitorquata Laughing dove, Streptopelia senegalensis (A) Namaqua dove, Oena capensis (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.
Great spotted cuckoo, Clamator glandarius (A) Common cuckoo, Cuculus canorus
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.
Eurasian nightjar, Caprimulgus europaeus (A)
Swifts Order: CaprimulgiformesFamily: 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.
Alpine swift, Apus melba (A) Alexander's swift, Apus alexandri (E) Common swift, Apus apus Plain swift, Apus unicolor (A) Pallid swift, Apus pallidus (A) African swift, Apus barbatus (A) Little swift, Apus affinis (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.
African crake, Crex egregia (A) Spotted crake, Porzana porzana (A) Lesser moorhen, Paragallinula angulata (A) Eurasian moorhen, Gallinula chloropus Eurasian coot, Fulica atra (A) Allen's gallinule, Porphyrio alleni (A) Purple gallinule, Porphyrio martinica (A) Little crake, Zapornia parva Baillon's crake, Zapornia parva (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-winged stilt, Himantopus himantopus Pied avocet, Recurvirostra avosetta
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
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.
Black-bellied plover, Pluvialis squatarola European golden-plover, Pluvialis apricaria (A) American golden-plover, Pluvialis dominica Pacific golden-plover, Pluvialis fulva (A) Northern lapwing, Vanellus vanellus (A) Spur-winged lapwing, Vanellus spinosus (A) Kentish plover, Charadrius alexandrinus Common ringed plover, Charadrius hiaticula Semipalmated plover, Charadrius semipalmatus (A) Little ringed plover, Charadrius dubius White-fronted plover, Charadrius marginatus (A) Eurasian dotterel, Charadrius morinellus (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.
Whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus Eurasian curlew, Numenius arquata (A) Bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica Black-tailed godwit, Limosa limosa Ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres Red knot, Calidris canutus Ruff, Calidris pugnax Stilt sandpiper, Calidris himantopus (A) Curlew sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea Temminck's stint, Calidris temminckii Sanderling, Calidris alba Dunlin, Calidris alpina Purple sandpiper, Calidris maritima Baird's sandpiper, Calidris bairdii (A) Little stint, Calidris minuta 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) Jack snipe, Lymnocryptes minimus (A) Eurasian woodcock, Scolopax rusticola Great snipe, Gallinago media (A) Common snipe, Gallinago gallinago Wilson's snipe, Gallinago delicata (A) Red-necked phalarope, Phalaropus lobatus (A) Red phalarope, Phalaropus fulicarius Common sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos Spotted sandpiper, Actitis macularius Green sandpiper, Tringa ochropus Solitary sandpiper, Tringa solitaria (A) Spotted redshank, Tringa erythropus Greater yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca (A) Common greenshank, Tringa nebularia Lesser yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes Marsh sandpiper, Tringa stagnatilis (A) Wood sandpiper, Tringa glareola Common redshank, Tringa totanus
Pratincoles and coursers Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Glareolidae
Glareolidae is a family of wading birds comprising the pratincoles, which have short legs, long pointed wings and long forked tails, and the coursers, which have long legs, short wings and long pointed bills which curve downwards.
Cream-colored courser, Cursorius cursor Collared pratincole, Glareola pratincola Black-winged pratincole, Glareola nordmanni (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.
Great skua, Stercorarius skua Pomarine jaeger, Stercorarius pomarinus Parasitic jaeger, Stercorarius parasiticus Long-tailed jaeger, Stercorarius longicaudus (A)
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.
Common murre, Uria aalge
Gulls, terns, and skimmers Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Laridae
Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds, the gulls, terns, and skimmers. Gulls are typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, 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 Sabine's gull, Xema sabini (A) Slender-billed gull, Chroicocephalus genei (A) Black-headed gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus Laughing gull, Leucophaeus atricilla (A) Mediterranean gull, Ichthyaetus melanocephalus (A) Audouin's gull, Ichthyaetus audouinii (A) Ring-billed gull, Larus delawarensis (A) Yellow-legged gull, Larus michahellis Caspian gull, Larus cachinnans Lesser black-backed gull, Larus fuscus Sooty tern, Onychoprion fuscatus (A) Little tern, Sternula albifrons Gull-billed tern, Gelochelidon nilotica Caspian tern, Hydroprogne caspia Black tern, Chlidonias niger (A) White-winged tern, Chlidonias leucopterus (A) Whiskered tern, Chlidonias hybrida (A) Roseate tern, Sterna dougallii (A) Common tern, Sterna hirundo Arctic tern, Sterna paradisaea West African crested tern, Thalasseus albididorsalis (A) Sandwich tern, Thalasseus sandvicensis
Tropicbirds Order: PhaethontiformesFamily: Phaethontidae