This is a list of the bird species recorded in Palau. The avifauna of Palau include a total of 186 species, of which 12 are endemic, and 5 have been introduced by humans. 9 species are globally threatened.
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 Palau.
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 Palau (E) Endemic - a species endemic to Palau (I) Introduced - a species introduced to Palau as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions (Ex) Extirpated - a species that no longer occurs in Palau although populations exist elsewhere
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.
Garganey, Spatula querquedula Eurasian wigeon, Mareca penelope Pacific black duck, Anas superciliosa Northern pintail, Anas acuta Green-winged teal, Anas crecca Common pochard, Aythya ferina (A) Tufted duck, Aythya fuligula
Megapodes Order: GalliformesFamily: Megapodiidae
The Megapodiidae are stocky, medium-large chicken-like birds with small heads and large feet. All but the malleefowl occupy jungle habitats and most have brown or black colouring.
Micronesian scrubfowl, Megapodius laperouse
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)
Pigeons and doves
Order: ColumbiformesFamily: Columbidae
Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere.
Palau ground dove, Alopecoenas canifrons (E) Nicobar pigeon, Caloenas nicobarica Palau fruit-dove, Ptilinopus pelewensis (E) Micronesian imperial-pigeon, Ducula oceanica
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.
Chestnut-winged cuckoo, Clamator coromandus (A) Long-tailed koel, Urodynamis taitensis (A) Channel-billed cuckoo, Scythrops novaehollandiae (A) Brush cuckoo, Cacomantis variolosus (A) Northern hawk-cuckoo, Hierococcyx hyperythrus (A) Hodgson's hawk-cuckoo, Hierococcyx nisicolor (A) Common cuckoo, Cuculus canorus (A) Oriental cuckoo, Cuculus optatus
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.
Gray nightjar, Caprimulgus jotaka Palau nightjar, Caprimulgus phalaena (E)
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.
White-throated needletail, Hirundapus caudacutus (A) Palau swiftlet, Aerodramus pelewensis (E) Pacific swift, Apus pacificus (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.
Buff-banded rail, Gallirallus philippensis Eurasian moorhen, Gallinula chloropus Eurasian coot, Fulica atra (A) Black-backed swamphen, Porphyrio indicus Australasian swamphen, Porphyrio melanotus White-breasted waterhen, Amaurornis phoenicurus (A) Pale-vented bush-hen, Amaurornis moluccana (A) White-browed crake, Poliolimnas cinereus Red-legged crake, Rallina fasciata (A) Slaty-legged crake, Rallina eurizonoides
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 stilt, Himantopus leucocephalus (A) Black-necked stilt, Himantopus mexicanus
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 Pacific golden-plover, Pluvialis fulva Lesser sand-plover, Charadrius mongolus Greater sand-plover, Charadrius leschenaultii Kentish plover, Charadrius alexandrinus Common ringed plover, Charadrius hiaticula Little ringed plover, Charadrius dubius Oriental plover, Charadrius veredus (A) Red-kneed dotterel, Erythrogonys cinctus (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 Little curlew, Numenius minutus (A) Far Eastern curlew, Numenius madagascariensis Eurasian curlew, Numenius arquata (A) Bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica Black-tailed godwit, Limosa limosa Ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres Great knot, Calidris tenuirostris Red knot, Calidris canutus (A) Ruff, Calidris pugnax Broad-billed sandpiper, Calidris falcinellus (A) Sharp-tailed sandpiper, Calidris acuminata Curlew sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea Temminck's stint, Calidris temminckii (A) Long-toed stint, Calidris subminuta Red-necked stint, Calidris ruficollis Sanderling, Calidris alba Dunlin, Calidris alpina Little stint, Calidris minuta (A) Pectoral sandpiper, Calidris melanotos Asian dowitcher, Limnodromus semipalmatus (A) Common snipe, Gallinago gallinago (A) Swinhoe's snipe, Gallinago megala Terek sandpiper, Xenus cinereus Red-necked phalarope, Phalaropus lobatus (A) Common sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos Green sandpiper, Tringa ochropus (A) Gray-tailed tattler, Tringa brevipes Wandering tattler, Tringa incana Common greenshank, Tringa nebularia Marsh sandpiper, Tringa stagnatilis 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.
Oriental pratincole, Glareola maldivarum
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) Long-tailed jaeger, Stercorarius longicaudus
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-headed gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus Brown noddy, Anous stolidus Black noddy, Anous minutus White tern, Gygis alba Sooty tern, Onychoprion fuscatus Gray-backed tern, Onychoprion lunatus Bridled tern, Onychoprion anaethetus Little tern, Sternula albifrons Gull-billed tern, Gelochelidon nilotica (A) White-winged tern, Chlidonias leucopterus Whiskered tern, Chlidonias hybrida Black-naped tern, Sterna sumatrana Common tern, Sterna hirundo Great crested tern, Thalasseus bergii
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-tailed tropicbird, Phaethon rubricauda
Northern storm-petrels Order: ProcellariiformesFamily: Hydrobatidae
The northern 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.
Matsudaira's storm-petrel, Hydrobates matsudairae
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.
Providence petrel, Pterodroma solandri Bulwer's petrel, Bulweria bulwerii Streaked shearwater, Calonectris leucomelas Wedge-tailed shearwater, Ardenna pacificus Tropical shearwater, Puffinus bailloni
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.
Lesser frigatebird, Fregata ariel Great frigatebird, Fregata minor
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 Brown booby, Sula leucogaster Red-footed booby, Sula sula
Cormorants and shags Order: SuliformesFamily: Phalacrocoracidae
Phalacrocoracidae is a family of medium to large coastal, fish-eating seabirds that includes cormorants and shags. Plumage colouration varies, with the majority having mainly dark plumage, some species being black-and-white and a few being colourful.
Little pied cormorant, Microcarbo melanoleucos Great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo (A) Little black cormorant, Phalacrocorax sulcirostris (A)
Pelicans Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Pelecanidae